Much of the controversy surrounding the release of The difference between eroticism & smuttIdolstemmed from an investigative report by Rolling Stonepublished in March, two months before the HBO series' premiered at Cannes Film Festival. Thirteen sources alleged that production on the series was "a shitshow," and that after director and co-creator Sam Levinson replaced director Amy Seimetz on the project, The Idol went from dark satire to "torture porn" and "rape fantasy."
So how did co-creator and top-billed star Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye respond to these serious allegations? With a social media clapback.
SEE ALSO: 'The Idol's finale twist makes absolutely zero senseTesfaye posted a clip from the upcoming season to his Twitter and Instagram, along with the caption, "@rollingstone did we upset you?" In the clip, the show's pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and sleazy club owner Tedros Tedros (Tesfaye) shoot down publicist Benjamin's (Dan Levy) suggestion of a Jocelyn Rolling Stone cover.
"Rolling Stone?" Tedros asks. "Aren't they a little irrelevant?"
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Tesfaye's response garnered criticism for its immaturity in the face of Rolling Stone's exposé, as well as for the scene's acting and writing. From there, audiences played a waiting game to see just when this totally sick burn on Rolling Stone would actually play out on The Idol.
Turns out, never! The Rolling Stonescene is absent throughout the show's five-episode run — except for clips from its bloopers in the finale's end credits montage sequence. For a show that loves to court controversy, it's a strange choice for The Idol to pretty much exclude one of its most buzzed-about scenes, especially after hyping it up so much.
On top of the general absence of the Rolling Stone scene, Tesfaye's post also serves as a reminder that Levy was once more involved in The Idol. The Emmy winner disappeared from the show after its first episode, where he played a pretty significant role on Jocelyn's team. Based on Tedros' presence and influence in the Rolling Stone clip, it's likely that the scene featured in a later episode after Tedros and Jocelyn first met. So how much more of Levy's character was cut, and why? And why cut the Rolling Stone scene beyond a flicker in a montage after posting about it in the first place?
Scenes get left on the cutting room floor all the time in film and TV. In fact, several snippets from The Idol teasers didn't make it into the show either. However, the context of this scene and how it was promoted make it a special case. Tesfaye may have posted the clip to deflect from Rolling Stone's reports of behind-the-scenes chaos, but ironically, its relative absence draws even more attention to that very same turmoil.
Topics HBO Streaming
WhatsApp launches 'Advanced Chat Privacy' to protect sensitive conversations
'Uncharted' movie surprise: Did you catch that wild cameo?
How to use the Instagram Professional Dashboard feature
Tessa Thompson says she's attracted to men and women. Happy pride!
Best security deal: The 8
Campaigners in Colombia celebrate decriminalization of abortion as 'historic victory'
The tiny country of Swaziland held its first ever Pride event on Saturday
Russia's war on social media isn't going well, either
U.N. aims to make carbon emissions cost money at COP 25 climate talks
Families Belong Together marches: Photos of all the best protest signs
One of Android's Easter Eggs is a Flappy Bird
Guy Pearce says Kevin Spacey was 'handsy' while filming 'LA Confidential'
The best memes of 2018 so far
Families Belong Together marches: Photos of all the best protest signs
Perplexity's new Deep Research tool is powered by DeepSeek R1
Adam Sandler and his mustache photobombed someone's wedding pictures
The best tweets of 2018 so far
'Uncharted' movie surprise: Did you catch that wild cameo?
NYT Strands hints, answers for May 18
Meta sets up special team to deal with hate speech and misinformation about Ukraine
Uber will launch an investigation into the use of GreyballSmall child meets the Queen, throws wildly unimpressed tantrumLooks like Matt Damon really could've grown potatoes on MarsTwitter is now marking entire profiles as 'sensitive'Patient shows brain activity for 10 minutes after deathLorde blesses us all with another new song and album release dateLorde blesses us all with another new song and album release dateFinding your chill in VR is easy when you can meditate on MarsDaredevil just crossed the Atlantic in the most epic wayDog valiantly trying to catch a toy gets the Photoshop battle he deservesLooks like Matt Damon really could've grown potatoes on MarsInstant karma comes for driver skipping line of cars on the freewayEPA chief denies carbon dioxide is main cause of global warming and... wait, what!?Twitter is now marking entire profiles as 'sensitive'Google's keyboard on Android finally gets GIF and emoji suggestions5 horrifying zits we hope Dr. Pimple Popper can cure with her new skincare lineThe internet could barely handle Barcelona's stunning Champions League comebackMalaysian bank offers year'No Man's Sky' photo mode leveled up and look at the amazing things it can doElon Musk makes a bet to fix a state's energy woes in 100 days, or it's free Diary of Nuance by Adam Thirlwell It’s Nineteen Seventy Misreading Ulysses by Sally Rooney Love Songs: “Estoy Aquí” by Ana Karina Zatarain Quiet: A Syllabus by Victoria Adukwei Bulley Oil!: On the Petro A Place for Fire by Elisa Gabbert Lil B Death Love Songs: “Aguacero” by Carina del Valle Schorske My Rattling Window by Sophie Haigney Love Songs: “Up in Hudson” by Camille Jacobson Announcing Our Seventieth On Paper: An Interview with Thomas Demand by Olivia Kan Art Out of Time: Three Reviews by The Paris Review Bluetti Solar Generator (AC70): $270 off at Amazon Chateaubriand on Writing Memoir between Two Societies by François The Couch Had Nothing to Do with Me by Maya Binyam Daniel Mason, Marta Figlerowicz, and Malachi Black Recommend by The Paris Review Intuition’s Ear: On Kira Muratova by Timmy Straw What the Paris Review Staff Read in 2022 by The Paris Review
2.896s , 10194.0703125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【difference between eroticism & smutt】,New Knowledge Information Network