All the Controversy Surrounding HBO's "The Idol," Explained

The first sign of trouble for "The Idol" came after Deadline reported that Seimetz, who was set to direct all episodes of the series, exited the show amid a "major creative overhaul." The outlet noted that Levinson then stepped in to take over directing duties, though he's since been credited as a cocreator and executive producer.

HBO declined to comment on the matter at the time. However, according to a Deadline report published just one day prior, the network said it was "evolving" its original vision for the show. "'The Idol''s creative team continues to build, refine, and evolve their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction," an HBO spokeswoman told the outlet. "The production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series. We look forward to sharing more information soon."

Two days following HBO's statement, Deadline then reported that cast member Suzanna Son exited "The Idol" for unknown reasons. The cast and directorial changes, according to the publication, were due to Tesfaye being "unhappy" with the show's creative direction. The series had already filmed four to five episodes at that point but underwent significant reshoots, per Variety.

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 March 1 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 signaled 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 satirizing."

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."

In a June 2 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."

In an interview with The New York Times, published on June 3, Levinson, Depp, and Tesfaye were all asked about how they think the explicit show will be received by audiences following critics' harsh reviews. "That's what makes it exciting, that these discussions are fraught," Levinson said regarding ongoing conversations about race, gender, and representation on television. "I think running headfirst into that fire is what thrills us all." Depp added, "We always knew that we were going to make something that was going to be provocative and perhaps not for everyone. That was a draw for all of us. I don't think any of us were interested in making anything that was going to be, you know, fun for the whole family."

Tesfaye, meanwhile, compared "The Idol"'s mixed reviews to reactions of his early music days, saying, "I feel that this is kind of like that again. This is not going to be for everybody, and that's fine. We're not politicians."

When asked about the show's nudity and having Tesfaye play a villain as a Black man, Levinson said, "Playing into those stereotypes in the first couple of episodes is important for the journey and the arc and the emotional experience." According to him, "It has a way of disorienting us because of our knowledge of who we are, and what has happened in the world. I think the audience will slowly begin to see who the true villain of the piece is."

In an interview with The Independent published on June 7, Azaria responded to claims made in Rolling Stone's report. According to the actor, who plays the music manager of Depp's character, his experience wasn't what was described in the article. "I can understand how, from a distance, especially if you're the person in charge of putting out script pages that day or making sure the right actor has the right wardrobe, that you would see it as chaos," he said.

Regarding Levinson's filming process, which sometimes included improvised scenes, per The Independent, Azaria added, "From the outside, that appears like chaos. From the inside, it's thrillingly creative, especially when there's a guy who's really watching what you're doing, and really trying to help you bring out the best version of that."

The actor also weighed in on the show's nude scenes, saying, "I understand anybody being daunted or triggered by what they might be seeing. That's understandable. All I can say is in making it, a lot of care was taken with everybody."

In a Variety interview published on June 20, Tesfaye said he hasn't been discouraged by viewers' negative reactions to the first few episodes of "The Idol." In fact, he claimed that he "very much expected" them. "[L]ook, we're playing with genres with this show, we're doing exactly what we wanted to do. And none of this is a surprise," he said. "I'm excited for everyone to watch the rest of the show." The "Dawn FM" singer also said his goal for "The Idol" is for people to reassess how they view fame. "It's almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous," Tesfaye said of the show's plot.