'The Idol' Actor Hank Azaria Defends Show's Controversial Nudity: 'Every Care Was Taken'

is finally over — but not without one more headline-making moment. A scene in Sunday’s season finale of the controversial,“torture porn” HBO series — streaming on Max — featured Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) management fearing that the troubled pop star could have trouble filling seats on her upcoming tour. Jocelyn’s agent offers: “You know, f—kin’ Kanye [West] was filling arenas until he decided to start following Adolf Hitler.”The remark references the 46-year-old “Can’t Tell Me Nothing'” rapper’s admiration of Hitler, which he publicly expressed last year among a stream of other anti-Semitic remarks.

“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.

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.

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.

The Weeknd has shared two new songs from The Idol ahead of this Sunday's season one finale. "Like A God" and Lil Baby collaboration "False Idols" are streaming below.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rolling Stone reported that the new series from “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson was plagued with production delays and last-minute script rewrites — accusations that HBO vehemently denied. The production also underwent significant reshoots after former director Amy Seimetz exited the project as Levinson took the reins, which was when Randolph said she entered the series.“To my knowledge, there were two versions … [and] I came in the second time around when it was Sam helming it,” Randolph said.

Sam Levinson‘s latest series “The Idol” hit HBO two weekends ago after its world premiere at Cannes in May, and the critical response is …not good. In fact, most critics think it’s a trainwreck of a show, which isn’t surprising given the stories that leaked during its production.

The Weeknd is responding to backlash surrounding his sex scenes in the latest episode of .The singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, opened up about the controversial moment in the second episode of the series in a new interview with . While the scene sees his character, Tedros and Lily-Rose Depp's Jocelyn get intimate on screen, Tesfaye said there's nothing «sexy» about it.«There's nothing sexy about it. When we use  as a reference, we're using Verhoeven.

Save your criticism for another day. The Weeknd has claimed that his “nasty” sex scene with Lily-Rose Depp in the second episode of HBO’s “The Idol” is more pathetic than sensual. “There’s nothing sexy about it,” the “Blinding Lights” megastar, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, told GQ in an interview published Tuesday.

In defense of Jocelyn. Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd have been sharing their thoughts about the backlash to The Idol, which premiered on HBO in June 2023.

The buzz surrounding HBO’s controversial new series The Idol might just be working to its benefit.

"The Idol" has only aired two episodes, but week to week has faced intense criticism and controversy, some of which occurred before the series even premiered. Lily-Rose Depp plays a rising pop star, struggling with a comeback who meets a self-help guru and cult leader (played by Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye), who begins to exert undue influence on her as she’s pulled into the underbelly of the music industry.

like years of headlines, revealing and expansive profiles about the ups and downs of the show’s production, and major on-set shakeups, HBO’s highly-anticipated The Idol has finally premiered. The new drama series tells a story of fame, excess, and identity with its saga about Lily-Rose Depp’s aspiring pop star and her complicated relationship with a self-help guru played by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, who also co-created the new series. So, if you watched the show as it debuted, or plan on catching it later with your Max subscription, there’s a good chance you’re wondering where you’ve seen The Idol cast before.