Is The Idol on HBO about Selena Gomez? Ever since the pop-star drama The Idol premiered on Sunday, June 4, it has sparked numerous questions.
People are wondering if lead actress Lily-Rose Depp is singing for real, what the controversies surrounding the show are (you can catch up on the juicy drama between The Weeknd and Rolling Stone here), and most importantly, who is The Idol based on.
Is it inspired by Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, or someone even closer to Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, the star and co-creator of the series?
Some fans strongly believe that Depp’s character, the ambitious but troubled pop singer Jocelyn, is actually modeled after one of The Weeknd’s most famous exes, Selena Gomez.
But is this speculation true? Let’s look at what we know about how this interesting and controversial series got started.
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Is Idol About Selena Gomez?
The pop sensation Jocelyn (Depp) is preparing a comeback, it is revealed in the first episode of The Idol, after having to postpone her last tour due to a “nervous breakdown” following the death of her mother to cancer.
Following the mental health incident, Jocelyn attempts to reclaim her cultural position by having a photoshoot for the album cover of her new album, which includes an odd accessory: a hospital bracelet.
Though there is disagreement among her creative team over whether to include the accessory on the cover, it serves to remind viewers of Jocelyn’s most recent time in a facility. When Xander (Troye Sivan) inquires about if the bracelet romanticizes mental illness, Jocelyn’s boss Nikki (Jane Adams) responds with a firm “Absolutely.”
“You people are so out of touch, you college-educated internet people…mental illness is sexy,” she tells him.
The singer, who has been quite candid about her own mental-health difficulties over the years, famously wore a hospital band of her own on the cover of her single “Bad Liar” back in 2017.
Selena Gomez superfans would undoubtedly understand the reference. (Gomez had just finished receiving lupus therapy.) And who do you think she was dating in 2017? The Weeknd, you guessed it. (They split up in October of that year, following a 10-month relationship.)
The “Calm Down” singer also abruptly postponed dozens of dates of a massive tour—live performances in support of her 2015 album, Revival—for mental health concerns, claiming lupus side effects like melancholy and anxiety.
The viewers of American Idol have also hypothesized that Selena and Raquelle Stevens‘ real-life friendship, which was prominently featured in the singer’s Apple TV documentary, My Mind & Me, is hauntingly similar to Jocelyn’s on the show. Leia is Jocelyn’s best friend and helper on the program. Rachel Sennott plays Leia.
Regarding the resemblances between Jocelyn and his well-known ex-girlfriend, The Weeknd stated at a press conference in Cannes in May 2023: “Jocelyn is definitely inspired by my experiences and the experiences of other artists that I’ve witnessed, male and female.”
Sam Levinson, co-creator of the series and star of Euphoria, reiterated his stance against using specific music stars as sources of inspiration during the Cannes panel, saying, “We’re not trying to tell a story about any particular pop star.”
Instead than focusing on a single person, the show criticizes the culture of fame in general. Levinson said of pop stardom: “It’s a lot of pressure—to have to constantly be on, and to be what everyone wishes you to be.
“It’s a lonely life… We can all pretend that everyone is looking out for someone’s best interest, but I think fame really corrupts; it’s really easy to surround yourself with myth-makers who continue to prop us up.”
Fans React to ‘The Idol’ Selena Gomez Like Character
Fans of the show The Idol quickly noticed that Selena Gomez was a lot like the character Jocelyn. Many people were unhappy with how much the real Selena and the fictional figure were alike.
Rachel Sennott’s character in The Idol is definitely based on Selena’s handler “bestie” Raquelle
Rachel Sennott’s character in The Idol is definitely based on Selena’s handler “bestie” Raquelle
— 🙂 (@garbagethot) June 5, 2023
Omg is it me or is The Idol very similar to Selena Gomez’s documentary? Of her and her bff?? Like lots of similarities
Omg is it me or is The Idol very similar to Selena Gomez’s documentary? Of her and her bff?? Like lots of similarities #TheIdol
— x (@plassticd0ll) June 6, 2023
I feel like the idol is heavily inspired by Selena Gomez after seeing her documentary and I feel like Abel is so gross 😭I can’t unsee it😭🫣
I feel like the idol is heavily inspired by Selena Gomez after seeing her documentary and I feel like Abel is so gross 😭I can’t unsee it😭🫣
— kismet (@amorypazamor) June 12, 2023
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