The Weeknd Defends His Show ‘The Idol’ After Backlash, Tells Critics Not To Listen To His Music

The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is defending his performance on the new HBO series The Idol after it receives backlash due to its extreme content, saying people will understand it with time.

The show premiered on June 4 and the release of the second episode, “Double Fantasy,” has received an extensive amount of negative reviews because of its sexually explicit scenes. 

The series focuses on Lily-Rose Depp’s character, Jocelyn, a pop star who has a nervous breakdown, which leads her to cancel her tour. She decides to go on a journey of self-healing when she meets Tedros, played by the Weeknd, and starts a relationship with him. The show focuses on their relationship and has multiple explicit scenes.

Critics have called the series “torture porn,” and it has received an overwhelming number of negative reviews. Variety even went as far as to say that Tesfaye’s acting is “nonexistent.”

The Weeknd is now defending the content of the show and his acting on social media. He is promoting the show by posting about the new episodes on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. In addition to this, he is reposting fans’ positive comments and even replying to a few of them. 

One woman, Valencia Esperanza, explained how she related to the characters on a personal level.

“I cried a lot this episode,” one fan wrote. “I’ve never related to a character more on a program than I have to Jocelyn. Her mental. Her mother dynamic. It’s uncanny. The Idol is REAL. And a lot of people just don’t get it.”

The Weeknd replied to her saying, “they will… i promise, give it time. until then enjoy the show for yourself ❤️”

Tesfaye has also responded to some critics of the show. 

After one woman wrote, “I can’t watch that show with The Weeknd in it lol it’s gonna ruin his music for me 💀,” he responded with, “Good don’t listen.”

Tesfaye is not giving up on the show and is determined to not listen to his critics. 

The next episode will be released this Sunday on HBO.