*WARNING: Explicit content and spoilers below*
The Idol lost more than 100,000 viewers in the same day between its premiere and the roller coaster’s second episode.
Since its run at Cannes, the show has sparked explosive controversy over Lily-Rose Depp’s racy portrayal of pop star Jocelyn, who gets entangled with a cult-leading nightclub owner played by The Weeknd.
During episode two, Jocelyn masturbates and hurts herself while mourning her dead mother and eventually falls into the carnal bondage of Tedros, The Weekend’s character.
In which British GK has called “the worst sex scene in history,” Jocelyn satisfies herself when Tedros instructs her to “wet that throat for me” and demands that she “stretch the hell out of that little pussy.”
Now a notification Variety revealed that the new episode drew 800,000 same-day viewers on Max and HBO, up from 913,000 for the premiere.
Comedown: The Idol lost more than 100,000 viewers in the same day between the premiere and the roller coaster’s second episode
Scandal: Since the show was shown in Cannes, the show has sparked explosive controversy over Lily-Rose Depp’s racy portrayal of pop star character Jocelyn
Entitled Double Fantasy, the episode pulls back the curtain on Tedros’ treatment of his acolytes, including one he puts a shock collar on while saying, “You’re not human, Isaac, remember – you’re finished*** star.’
In the sex scene, Jocelyn masturbates on the bed with a blindfold on while Tedros hisses his desires, such as “choke you with my c***.”
Viewers flocked to social media to express their unvarnished opinions, one of which took to The Weeknd’s Instagram and received more than 900 likes for commenting: “the show is dogs** not my man I love you but stick with music.’
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO and Max, said streaming numbers for the two episodes were “almost even.”
In that case, there was a 12% viewership loss among viewers watching The Idol on television, where it airs Sunday night.
However, the delayed viewing for the premiere was a resounding success, to the point that the first episode of The Idol was viewed more times than the pilots of The White Lotus or Euphoria over the course of a week.
The Weeknd co-created The Idol with former entertainment entrepreneur Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson, the writer behind Euphoria.
Sam, whose own history with drugs helped inspire Euphoria, is Lily-Rose’s fellow fake baby as the son of acclaimed director Barry Levinson.
Seduction: During episode two, Jocelyn masturbates and self-harms while mourning her late mother and eventually falls into the carnal bondage of The Weekend’s character Tedros
Shock value: In what Britain’s GQ calls “the worst sex scene in history,” Jocelyn entertains herself as Tedros instructs her to “wet that throat for me”
Numbers game: Now a report in Variety has revealed that the new episode drew 800,000 same-day viewers on Max and HBO, up from 913,000 for the premiere
At its Cannes premiere, The Idol received a five-minute standing ovation, but also provoked a string of blistering reactions from critics.
Gregory Ellwood of The Playlist called the second episode “Sexist, pseudo-porn,” while Kyle Buchanan of the New York Times dismissed the show as “a Pornhub homepage odyssey” starring “Lily-Rose Depp’s areolas,” and The Wrap called it “luxury sleaze.”
“Lots of strong reactions to #TheIdol from #Cannes2023 – ranging from ‘I hated it’ to ‘the TV version of clickbait’ to ‘I don’t want to see Lily-Rose Depp naked again,'” tweeted Variety reporter Ramin Setoodeh , author of the bestselling book Ladies Who Punch about the backstage drama at The View.
Much of the chatter revolved around Lily-Rose’s raunchy role, which at one point involves a clear portrayal of her character with cum on her face.
Insiders told Rolling Stone in March that the show was almost completely reshot to make it less feminine.
Pet Sematary actress Amy Seimetz, who also helmed films like Sun Don’t Shine and She Dies Tomorrow, is said to have directed about 80 percent of The Idol before leaving the project.
The Weeknd is said to have felt that The Idol had an exaggerated “female perspective” and wanted the plot to give his character more prominence than Lily-Rose’s.
Sam stepped in as director and reshooted the show, which was reportedly heavily rewritten with so much raunchy material that one source kept thinking, “What is this?” What am I reading here? It was like sexual torture porn.”
Backlash: At its Cannes premiere, The Idol received a five-minute standing ovation, but also provoked a string of blistering reactions from critics
Plugging away: Lily-Rose and The Weeknd are pictured in Cannes with Sam Levinson, who co-created The Idol with The Weeknd and ex-entertainment entrepreneur Reza Fahim
However, other sources said the insiders quoted by Rolling Stone made their comments without seeing the final product.
The Weeknd publicly responded by denouncing the report as “ridiculous.” Vanity purse: “Programmes are rerecorded every day.”
Lily-Rose also defended Sam and issued a statement E! News in which she called him “the best director I’ve ever worked with for so many reasons.”
She added, “Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, more valued for my input and opinions.”
The showbiz legacy continued: ‘Working with Sam is a true collaboration in every way – the most important thing to him is not just what his actors think of the work, but how we feel performing it.’
At a Cannes press conference, Lily-Rose defended the extensive nudity in the show, arguing that “the character’s occasional nudity physically mirrors the nudity we get to see in her emotionally,” according to People.