The Weeknd releases ‘The Idol’ music video mocking Rolling Stone

Just six hours after Rolling Stone released a damning report detailing alleged production issues on the set of The Idol , The Weeknd has responded with a new sneak peek of the upcoming HBO series that mentions the publication by name.

Rolling Stone on Wednesday published a story about the alleged early problems of “The Idol,” co-produced by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Reza Fahim, and “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson. The story claimed that the show’s production descended into chaos and tension after original director Amy Seimetz left the show and Levinson eventually took over directing duties. Alleged problems included over-scheduled filming, late script submissions, over-budget production, and concerns about potentially misogynistic writing in the new version of the series.

Rolling Stone spoke to 13 sources who worked on the show for the report; however, in a post on his Instagram page published the same day as the report, Tesfaye suggested that the publication’s motivation for the story had more to do with personal vendetta than journalistic integrity. “@rollingstone did we upset you?” – reads the caption of the post, which debuts a clip that appears to be from the actual show, in which Tesfaye and her co-star Lily-Rose Depp claim that the multi-faceted magazine is “a bit irrelevant.”

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In the clip, “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy plays Jocelyn’s (Depp) manager, an aspiring pop singer, who suggests she accept a Rolling Stone cover story offer. After Jocelyn’s friend Tedros, the club’s promoter and cult leader, dismisses the publication as irrelevant, Depp claims the publication is “past its prime.”

“Yeah, nobody cares about Rolling Stone,” Tesfaye’s character says in the scene before pulling out her phone. “Rolling Stone has six million followers on Instagram. Half of them are probably bots. And Jocelyn has 78 million followers – all real. I would assume. So he does a photoshoot, tags them, gets followers, more money for Rolling Stone, nothing for Jocelyn.”

“Jocelyn has a lot going on,” Levy’s character protests. “Not in Rolling Stone,” Tesfaye’s character replies.

Tesfaye isn’t the first member of “The Idol’s” creative team to respond to the report; In Depp’s statement to IndieWire, the actor defended Levinson from criticism by calling him “the best director I’ve ever worked with,” saying, “I’ve never felt so supported or valued in a creative space, my input and my opinion were more valued. Working with Sam is a real collaboration in every way – for him, what is most important is not only what his actors think of the work, but also how we feel during the performance. He hires people whose work he values ​​and has always created an environment where I felt seen, heard and valued.”

HBO has also disputed the Rolling Stone report since its release; In a statement to IndieWire, a representative for the channel stated that “the creators and producers of ‘The Idol’ have worked hard to create one of HBO’s most exciting and provocative original shows. Unfortunately, the initial approach to the show and the production of the early episodes did not meet HBO’s standards, so we decided to make a change. … Throughout the process, the creative team is committed to creating a safe, collaborative and mutually respectful work environment, and last year the team made creative changes that they believe are in the best interest of the production and the cast and crew. We look forward to sharing ‘The Idol’ with audiences soon.”

Watch the scene from “The Idol” below.

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