Saturday, June 27, 2026
Donate
Television

Fans on Social Media Say The Weeknd Is Wrecking His Career with “Disgusting” Soft Core Porn TV Series, “The Idol”: Record Sales Say They’re Correct

By Roger Friedman

Share

★ Make Showbiz411 your Preferred Source on Google

Is The Weeknd wrecking his music career with “The Idol”?

Fans who watched the second episode on HBO last night are more disappointed than freaking out on social media today.

In the 2nd episode, which desecrates John Lennon’s memory by calling itself “Double Fantasy,” The Weeknd appears in a soft core porn sequence that can only be described as disgusting. It’s also a teenager’s fantasy of some kind, so ridiculous you almost laugh out loud.

The Weeknd — Abel Tesfaye — also has dialogue that’s being mocked all over social media. I’m going to refrain from restating it here, but it’s completely vulgar and gross. Then he and the character Jocelyn, played by Lily Rose Depp (whose nipples are on record now forever from two episodes) engage in rough sex.

This is more than any pop star in their right mind would commit to film. The result is quite negative. Part of the reasoning for “The Idol”‘s existence is to sell records heard on the show. But already a single, called “Popular,” is a smashing dud on iTunes. “Popular” is being streamed on Spotify to any recorded numbers. Luminate, which records sales both physical and streaming, as well as airplay, shows an alarming down turn for The Weeknd in the last two weeks. “Popular” has had only 3,590 downloads so far.

I can’t imagine that The Weeknd’s record label, Republic Records, isn’t worried about what effect this will have on the singer’s future sales and albums. Or maybe no one cares. I guess we’ll see soon.

Here are some comments:

Donate to Showbiz411.com

Showbiz411 is now in its 13th year of providing breaking and exclusive entertainment news. This is an independent site, unlike the many Hollywood trades that are owned by one company. To continue providing news that takes a fresh look at what's going on in movies, music, theater, etc, advertising is our basis. Reader donations would be greatly appreciated, too. They are just another facet of keeping fact based journalism alive.
Thank you


Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

Read more

In Other News

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com