‘The Idol’ finale takes jab at Kanye West’s praise of Adolf Hitler

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The death of a Lanarkshire schoolgirl who died alone in agony while her mum was at the pub is set to be examined by a sheriff in two months' time.

The Idol, the HBO series from The Weeknd and Euphoria's Sam Levinson, brought its first season to an end last week. I thought it was quite bad, but found the internet pile-on was exaggerated, as they usually are.

The Idol might be one of HBO’s most talked-about shows of the year.Created by Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Reza Fahim, the series follows aspiring pop idol Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) as she begins a complex relationship with a self-help guru and cult leader, Tedros (Tesfaye).In April last year, the series underwent a creative overhaul where original director, Amy Seimetz, departed the project. Levinson took over to direct all five episodes.HBO has not announced whether The Idol will return.

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“worst sex scenes in history.”“Continue to push the vision no matter how bumpy the journey,” Tesfaye, 33, told his fans in an Instagram post, seemingly referring to the show’s poor reception. Upon premiering at Cannes, “The Idol,” which Tesfaye created with Sam Levinson of “Euphoria” fame, was widely derided for its nudity, sex and directionless plot. “‘The Idol,’ or 50 SHADES OF TESFAYE: A Pornhub-homepage odyssey starring Lily-Rose Depp’s areolas and The Weeknd’s greasy rat tail,” a critic for the Gray Lady sneered after a viewing.“The show heavily exploits Lily … I hope she’s okay with it all because it comes off very exploitative,” another critic worried. The plot followed troubled pop princess Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp, 24, daughter of Johnny Depp) as she became involved in a weird and sex-filled relationship with self-help guru, club owner and cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye). The show regularly scandalized audiences, who cringed at its “nasty” sex scenes.Levinson doubled down after “The Idol” was criticized, defending his work as “revolutionary,” while others noted that the show is actually a lot tamer than earlier efforts, such as “True Blood.” “I think we live in a very sexualized world,” Levinson said.Depp also defended the show, telling Vogue Australia, “We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that. That’s something I knew I was setting out to do from the beginning.

Is The Idol just a sick, twisted ex-girlfriend revenge fantasy for one of its stars?!

Arthur Schopenhauer espoused, “Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame.” There is perhaps no thirstier example of this truth than HBO’S “The Idol,” the network’s over the top ode to synth moans and the under boob.Branded by critics as cringey at best and torture porn/rape fantasy at worst, the show follows controversial pop star Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp as she falls for ponytailed cult leader Tedros, played by Abel Tesfaye, the artist formerly known as The Weeknd who also co-wrote and produced the series. Tesfaye, whose acting talents have been the source of much debate, has fired retaliatory Twitter shots at both “Rolling Stone,” and less predictably, Oreo cookies.

“torture porn.” But that’s nothing compared to the wrath of Selena Gomez’s fans, who are pointing out similarities between the show’s pop star protagonist, Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), and the Disney-reared diva. And the “Only Murders in the Building” star’s fuming followers say it’s Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, whom Gomez briefly dated in 2017, who’s to blame.

Note: This story contains spoilers from the “The Idol” episode 5.HBO’s “The Idol” wrapped up its five-episode season Sunday night with a surprise ending — that was evidently spoiled to The Weeknd fans who attended his Los Angeles concert this fall.On the finale: As the twisted relationship between rebounding pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and shady nightclub owner Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) sunk even deeper into dangerous territory as Tedros attempts to control every part of Jocelyn’s life and career, Jocelyn decides to get rid of Tedros once and for all by bringing her manager Chaim into the mix. When Tedros refuses to take a check for half a million dollars to stay away from Jocelyn, Chaim moves to Plan B — tipping off a Vanity Fair journalist to write a scathing exposé of Tedros’ past exploits that would ruin him forever.Weeks later, in an unexpected turn of events, Tedros shows up at Jocelyn’s concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and the pop star takes him back.

Spoiler alert: This review contains key plot points for the final episode of The Idol. When it was first announced, The Idol seemed like a natural progression for the Weeknd.

Note: This story contains spoilers from the “The Idol” episode 5.“The Idol” finale is finally here and the HBO drama held onto its title as the most scandalous show of the summer until the very end.Episode 4 of the Sam Levinson-created show left off with a grim outlook for Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) after the pop star gave her backup dancer and so-called friend Dyanne (Jennie Kim) the green light to take Jocelyn’s song, “World Class Sinner,” as her own. If her carefully planned comeback getting destroyed wasn’t enough, her personal life was also left in the toilet after learning that Dyanne and Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) previously knew each other and had a relationship before Jocelyn and Tedros met.Seeking revenge, Jocelyn called up her ex-boyfriend, Rob, to come to her house, who succeeded in making Tedros jealous.

HBO’s controversial “The Idol” said goodbye to the weird, controversial world inhabited by wannabe pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and her creepy mentor, the rat-tail sporting Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), after the show’s fifth and final episode, “Jocelyn Forever.” After struggling under ex-pimp/cult leader/star maker Tedros — Tesfaye is a co-creator of the show, along with Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”) and Reza Fahim — last night was all about Jocelyn demonstrating her power. Dwindling audiences of the show, said to have contributed “the worst sex scene in history” in an earlier episode, we are finally given access to the badass, pop diva lurking underneath, ready to strike with the same venom being poured into her by Tedros and company.Jocelyn, it turns out, is ruthless.The shift in power balance is clear from the start — while everyone gathers at Jocelyn’s house for a tour meeting, a disheveled Tedros is kicked out of Jocelyn’s life, seemingly forever.

Selome Hailu Goodbye, angels. “The Idol” — or at least its first season — came to a conclusion after five episodes on Sunday night, but not without the usual dose of darkly sexual ups and downs for its jewel-eyed, rat-tailed stars. Titled “Jocelyn Forever,” the episode begins with Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) at her home, working on a song with prolific Mike Dean (played by himself). As she sings lyrics Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) prompted her to write — “My kinda love / Force me, choke me ’till I pass out” — it becomes clear that the ex-pimp’s coke habit has caught up to him. Sweating, with his hair beginning to fall out of his famous rat-tail, he interrupts the jam session to give some notes. Jocelyn lets him know he isn’t welcome to do that anymore.

Alison Herman TV Critic In the end, “The Idol” was neither as offensive as its detractors claimed nor as “revolutionary” as co-creator Sam Levinson believed. Like so many works of art that too openly aim for provocation, the five episodeHBO drama got in its own way, passing off reductive clichés as radical transgression. Much of the discourse around the show has centered on sex, the most attention-grabbing of its themes. But flashy as its approach may be, how “The Idol” depicts nudity, kink and power dynamics is less indicative of the series’ core problems than its take on pop music and stardom — ostensibly its primary subjects and the center of season finale “Jocelyn Forever.” Even with such an abbreviated buildup, the episode still managed to underwhelm, offering neither shocking twists nor effective catharsis. For a show in part about fandom, “The Idol” failed to inspire one of its own.

has taken its final bow.The controversial HBO series — written and directed by creator Sam Levinson — wrapped up its five-episode run on Sunday, with a jaw-dropping finale titled «Jocelyn Forever.»The episode began with Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) calling out Tedros (Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye) as a «con man and a fraud,» claiming he had been obsessed with her for years before they met at his club. Despite telling him to leave and saying the other members of their group can stay, Tedros remains at her estate and attends a meeting with her record label to discuss her tour. With the meeting and tour in jeopardy, the label agrees to listen to performances from other members of the group and it's a success.

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Ellise Shafer For Moses Sumney, being cast in Sam Levinson’s controversial HBO series “The Idol” was, as he tells Variety, “strangely cosmic.” The singer-songwriter — whose two studio albums, “Aromanticism” and “Græ,” were released to critical acclaim — first came into contact with Levinson when he synced Sumney’s song, “Me in 20 Years,” for Rue’s special episode of “Euphoria” in late 2020. Sumney, who had been taking virtual acting classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, then found himself auditioning for the role of Elliot (Dominic Fike) in Season 2 of the series. “I auditioned kind of on a whim, and it weirdly went really well and went pretty far until I think the powers that be were like, ‘So, I don’t know if he looks 16 years old,'” Sumney says with a laugh. “Then Sam called me and was like, ‘I love you so much as an actor, I’m gonna keep you in mind.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, whatever, sure.'”

told Variety. “Nothing is official, but HBO is quite happy.” Randolph, 37, portrays Destiny, Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) manager who has a bad feeling about sleazy nightclub owner Tedros (The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye) who deems himself the captain of the pop star’s career. The series’ first season has been widely criticized by fans on social media for its “nasty,” cringe and raunchy sex scenes — but Randolph said there could be even more to come.

“For me, the whole character [Jocelyn] and the show [The Idol] and her arc was really a collaboration through and through. We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that. That’s something I knew I was setting out to do from the beginning. I was never interested in making something puritanical. It’s okay if this show isn’t for everyone and that’s fine – I think all the best art is [polarizing]. I’ve never felt more respected and more safe on a set, honestly. And I think the trust that we all built with each other, Sam and I, and Abel and I, that can only make for a really safe-feeling set. So when it comes to the nudity and the risqué nature of the role, that to me was really intentional. That was really important to me and something that I was excited about doing. I’m not scared of it. I think we live in a highly sexualized world. I think that’s an interesting thing to explore.”

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who stars as Destiny in “The Idol” — Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) manager — opens up on why co-creator Sam Levinson took over the much-discussed series and the likelihood of a second season.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent On “The Idol,” Da’Vine Joy Randolph brings a rare bit of heart to the much-discussed show. Playing Destiny, Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) manager, the actor portrays one of the only stabilizing forces surrounding the sexualized pop star who has been wrapped up in a dangerous world, led by wannabe musician and cult leader Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye). Randolph was hand-picked by “Idol” co-creator Sam Levinson after the “Euphoria” creator took over the show during a complete overhaul in which he shot it again, after an initial version helmed by Amy Seimetz was completely scrapped, Randolph says. Controversy began before the show even premiered, with a Rolling Stone article that claimed production on “The Idol” had gone “disgustingly off the rails” and that Levinson’s version played like “twisted torture porn.”

The Idol has received backlash for months for its nudity, sex scenes and portrayal of toxic masculinity, with many critics questioning its value. Now, the show’s star, Lily-Rose Depp, is defending the decisions of the show. «We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that. That’s something I knew I was setting out to do from the beginning,» she tells  in an interview for the July cover story.

The One Show's Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas had to ask BBC producers to step in after they couldn't settle a debate.

“The Idol” has been whipping up controversy due to its graphic OMG sex scenes, but star Lily-Rose Depp believes that it’s all being blown out of proportion.

For months now, critics on Twitter and elsewhere have challenged The Idol’s more explicit scenes, describing some of them as examples of toxic masculinity, rape culture and torture porn and questioning their value. Now, the show’s star, Lily-Rose Depp, has responded to those sentiments in an interview with Vogue Australia.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Lily-Rose Depp says the nudity on “The Idol” is “really intentional” and she was never uncomfortable stripping down on set to film the series’ numerous sex scenes. The HBO series has ignited controversy over the last four weeks due to its graphic content and frequent nudity. Depp is often at the center of the show’s most risqué scenes as the show’s lead character, a pop star named Jocelyn who falls under the control of a sinister nightclub owner (Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye). “For me, the whole character and the show and her arc was really a collaboration through and through,” Depp recently told Vogue Australia. “We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that. That’s something I knew I was setting out to do from the beginning. I was never interested in making something puritanical. It’s okay if this show isn’t for everyone and that’s fine — I think all the best art is [polarizing].”

controversial sex scenes and nudity — and Lily-Rose Depp is defending the “nasty” scenes after viewers branded it as “torture porn.”The HBO series — created by Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”), Reza Fahim and Abel Tesfaye (a k a The Weeknd) — follows pop star Jocelyn (Depp, 24, daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis) and her strange and raunchy relationship with nightclub owner and cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye, 33).It has been slammed for its graphic sex scenes and has garnered controversy for behind-the-scenes mess. In March, Rolling Stone reported that sources on the production described a chaotic filming environment, and called it “torture porn” and “rape fantasy.”But Depp is shutting down the criticism, saying the sex scenes in the show are “important” and “intentional.”“We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that.

Fresh Kanye West antisemitism accusations have emerged in a BBC documentary charting the recent times of the troubled artist.

After weeks of bad-mouthed reviews and criticism, HBO’s “The Idol” season 1 has been shortened from six episodes to five.

The HBO series The Idol has been airing for just four weeks… and the show is already about to wrap up season one.

will end one week earlier than originally announced, Abel «The Weeknd» Tesfaye confirmed Monday. Originally billed as six episodes, the controversial Max show will now end after five installments.  also announced the change on Monday, saying that the series no longer needed six episodes after creator Sam Levinson joined the team and the story changed drastically. Co-creator Tesfaye tweeted the news, writing that the show has «one more episode,» set to air this Sunday. ONE MORE EPISODE #THEIDOL EP.

The Idol is heading towards its season finale.

idol-istic. Viewers who have been watching the controversial HBO show “The Idol” expressed confusion, after it was announced that the upcoming fifth episode will be the end of Season 1. “I thought it was gonna be 6 episodes, not 5?? What happened???” one fan wrote. Another outraged fan complained, “this needs 10 episodes…story hasn’t gone anywhere.”The salacious drama – which has become infamous for its “nasty” sex scenes and nudity – is helmed by Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”) and musician Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, 33, who also co-stars. The plot follows troubled pop princess Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp, 24, daughter of Johnny Depp), as she becomes entangled in a strange and steamy relationship with self-help guru, club owner and cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye). “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy, 39, is also in “The Idol,” for some reason. (Maybe he just needed a paycheck).There’s been a lot of hand-wringing about how raunchy the show is – even though it’s tame compared to “True Blood” or even “Bridgerton.” It’s been slammed by critics for its graphic sex scenes, and it also attracted controversy for reports of its environment behind the scenes.

Ethan Shanfeld “There is some kinky-ass shit in this house,” says Destiny in the fourth episode of HBO’s “The Idol,” apparently assuming the role of this series’ viewers. “This shit is weird, scary shit.” As the Weeknd’s Tedros tightens his grip on Lily-Rose Depp’s Jocelyn — both metaphorically and literally, with his hands around her waist in the studio — her managers, played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Hank Azaria, plot to save their troubled client from the predatory nightclub mogul. At the beginning of the episode, Destiny (Randolph) and Chaim (Azaria) run through Tedros’ rap sheet, which is full of violence and abuse charges. Oh, and his real name is Mauricio Costello Jackson.

Note: This story contains spoilers from the “The Idol” episode 4.With only two episodes left in its five-episode season, HBO’s “The Idol” is giving “Euphoria” a run for its money as the questionable relationship between rebounding pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and shady nightclub owner Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) gets even more twisted.Last week’s episode left off with Jocelyn divulging her newfound friends about the abuse she faced from her mother, who would use a hairbrush to hit her when she was disobedient, using it as a correcting tool when Jocelyn didn’t exercise, flirted with someone she didn’t like or did anything not up to her mother’s standards. After hearing these painful memories, Tedros instructed Jocelyn to get the hairbrush, explaining they must work through the trauma to come out stronger.By episode 4, titled “Stars Belong to the World,” Tedros has taken over even more of Jocelyn’s decisions as Dyanne, Jocelyn’s backup dancer and friend, slides into the spotlight even more.Keep reading to get the full picture of just how much “The Idol” has intensified by its second to last episode of the season.