All the Controversy Surrounding New TV Show "The Idol," Explained

Months following reports of reshoots and exits from "The Idol," HBO released three teaser clips to get viewers excited. But that buzz was interrupted with disturbing allegations on 1 March when Rolling Stone published an investigation into the behind-the-scenes events of the show. Per interviews with 13 cast and crew members, the exposé detailed everything from scripts containing a number of physically and sexually violent scenes between Depp's and Tesfaye's characters to countless delays, reshoots, and rewrites that one member classified as "a sh*tshow."

The article claimed that the first red flag for "The Idol" arose after Seimetz exited the show with roughly 80 percent of it finished. At the time of her departure, reports were unclear about what exactly signalled the major creative changes to the show, but Rolling Stone reported that Tesfaye felt the show was leaning too much into a "female perspective." A source seconded that idea to the publication, saying, "It was like The Weeknd wanted one show that was all about him — Sam was on board with that."

Rolling Stone also noted that delays for "The Idol" were caused by Levinson getting more involved in directing, as he reportedly scrapped the nearly-finished $54-75 million project to rewrite and reshoot the series in its entirety. Sources then claimed Levinson dampened "The Idol"'s original message by increasing the amount of sexual content and nudity featured to match — and potentially surpass — his other raunchy HBO series, "Euphoria."

"What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century. The things that we subject our talent and stars to, the forces that put people in the spotlight and how that can be manipulated in the post-Trump world," one crew member shared, adding, "It went from satire to the thing it was satirising."

Another crew member said of the show's X-rated content, "It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better." Meanwhile, another member described the series as "sexual torture porn."

On the other hand, Depp defended Levinson's vision for the show and called him "the best director" she's ever worked with in a statement to POPSUGAR. She also added that she's never "felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input, and opinions more valued."

An HBO rep shared a separate statement with POPSUGAR, writing, "The creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew."

Reps for Levinson and Tesfaye did not respond to POPSUGAR's request for comment on the Rolling Stone report.

Shortly after Rolling Stone published its report, the pop star responded with a nonchalant response on social media. "@RollingStone did we upset you?" Tesfaye wrote alongside a clip from "The Idol," where his character makes fun of the publication for being "irrelevant." Depp's character chimes in as well, suggesting the outlet is "past its prime." Tesfaye did not directly address the report outside of his initial comment.

Levinson and "The Idol" cast hit the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to debut the first two episodes of their series out of competition for critics in attendance. Though Deadline reported that the show received a five-minute standing ovation, making Levinson emotional, some reviews were less than kind to aspects of "The Idol." A Rolling Stone headline called the series "more toxic and way worse than you've heard," while The Hollywood Reporter said it "runs almost exclusively on vibes," comparing it to "Euphoria" season two.

While at Cannes, Levinson addressed some of "The Idol"'s backlash, including Rolling Stone's report, saying, "I just wanna say that it's always sad and disheartening to hear mean, false things about someone you care about, and it wasn't my experience shooting the show." The show creator also acknowledged that those signed on for the series knew they were making a "show that's provocative."

Levinson also shared his initial reaction to Rolling Stone's piece after his wife read it to him for the first time. He said, "I think we're about to have the biggest show of the summer."

Right now, it seems Levinson's prediction may be correct. But will "The Idol" go down as the biggest show of the season for positive reasons? Only viewers will be able to answer that.

In a 2 June interview with Entertainment Weekly, Depp revealed that her costar Tesfaye would sometimes get so in character during filming that she knew to "steer clear" from him. "I don't think anybody went full method — nobody lost their minds," she said. "Well, sometimes when Abel would get — I don't want to reveal too much about where Abel's character goes, but when he would be in full Tedros mode sometimes, I would steer clear of him. I'd be like, 'He's in his zone right now.'"

While Depp didn't elaborate further on what "full Tedros mode" means, she also told the outlet that the shoot was fun, despite the heavy topics. "For something that does, of course, explore darker themes and has some pretty heavy emotional moments to it and everything, the vibe on set was quite lighthearted," she explained. "We're all really good friends, and we all are similar people and really understand each other. We were having a lot of laughs, listening to a lot of music, dancing around; and that kind of energy is what made the heavier moments easier and possible, because whenever you knew that there was a bigger, emotional scene coming up, you felt like you were surrounded by people that you feel comfortable with, people that have your back, and you feel that in the show."