The Weeknd Says He Expected Negative Reaction to 'The Idol'

etonline.com:

Abel «The Weeknd» Tesfaye said this week he «very much» expected a negative reaction to Controversy surrounding the show and its production first surfaced several months before the first episode's premiere, when sources told  that the project had gone «wildly, disgustingly off the rails.» Most recently, referred to the third episode as «bizarrely edited» and «hackily written.» Tesfaye said he expected all of this criticism, but was not fazed by it. «It's almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous,» Tesfaye told of his show's treatment of fame. «You're surrounded by people who you're not sure what their true intentions are, even if it seems like they're good.

You just never know. But of course, I've been very fortunate to have people around me that I've known almost my entire life, which is important, and is a gift.» , currently releasing new episodes on Max, stars Tesfaye as Tedros, a charismatic cult leader/self-help guru who discovers Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), an up-and-coming pop singer, and will stop at nothing to make her famous.

It is co-created by 's Sam Levinson. Tesfaye continued this week with a defense of his characters' confusing choices. «Nothing is worse than a yes-man, especially when you have a bunch of yes-men around you,» he continued. «And when you see a character like Nikki [Jocelyn’s record-label executive], who's not a yes-man, she might seem like a bad person, but then you kind of like her for being honest.

So it's a very complicated situation for Jocelyn.» The quotes are not the first time Tesfaye has defended his show. Last week, he told viewers are supposed to see Tedros as a bad guy, something that he said comes across on-screen and even in the sex scenes.«You look.