The Weeknd Says He 'Very Much' Expected Criticism of 'The Idol'

The Weeknd is speaking out about all the criticism surrounding The Idol.

The HBO series has been controversial even before its official release, with Rolling Stone publishing a bombshell expose in March that detailed the ways in which the project had gone “wildly, disgustingly off the rails.”

More recently, there were rumors that the show would not be returning for a second season after it was reported that ratings for the second episode fell by 12% after the June 11 premiere. HBO subsequently issued a statement denying the report.

In a new interview with Variety, The Weeknd – who stars in the show alongside Lily Rose Depp – said that he “very much” expected the negative reactions.

Keep reading to find out what else he said…

He cited Brian De Palma and Paul Verhoeven as inspirations for the series, adding that the team behind the show had done “exactly what [they] wanted to do. And none of this is a surprise. I’m excited for everyone to watch the rest of the show.”

“It’s almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous,” he said of the 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.”

He went on to defend his character Tedros’ confusion behavior in the most recent episode. “Nothing is worse than a yes-man, especially when you have a bunch of yes-men around you,” he said. “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 Weeknd also recently defended another scene from the show, which sparked quite a bit of criticism on social media. Find out what he said here.