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The idol trailer 3

Watch The Weeknd, Lily-Rose Depp and BLACKPINK’s Jennie Kim in X-Rated ‘The Idol’ Trailer


The Weeknd’s latest acting venture has us a little hot under the collar, with THE IDOL dropping its first raunchy AF trailer overnight. Coming to HBO MAX, the Canadian pop star and Lily-Rose Depp are set to star in the new series, which delves into the debaucherous and cult-like lifestyles associated with the music industry. Watch the NSFW trailer above.

The weeknd the idol
Image: HBO Max

What is The Idol About?

The new project has been co-created, written and executive-produced by Sam Levinson –the maker of Euphoria –The Weeknd, Joe Epstein and Reza Fahim. In November of last year, show director Amy Seimetz gave fans an insight into the six-episode drama, stating that, “THE IDOL, set against the backdrop of the music industry, centres on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult, who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol.”

The insanely wild trailer provides a taste of what’s to come, showing the stars caught up in a hedonistic lifestyle consumed by drugs, money and sex. And just in case you needed more clarification on the tone, they even describe the show as “the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood.

“When the multi-talented Abel’ The Weeknd’ Tesfaye, Reza Fahim, and Sam Levinson brought us ‘The Idol’, it was clear their subversive, revelatory take on the cult of the music industry was unlike anything HBO had ever done before. Shortly after, the brilliant duo of Joe Epstein and Amy Seimetz joined forces with the rest of the team, and this dream became a reality,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, at the time the series was first announced.

The idol trailer
Image: HBO Max

The Idol Cast

Depp and Tesfaye are joined by A-listers Troye Sivan and BLACKPINK rapper Jennie Kim for the new series, much to the delight of fans. A brief snapshot of Kim sent shockwaves across the globe, confirming previous suspicions that the rapper was making an appearance in the new series.

In addition, Debby Ryan, Rachel Sennott, Steve Zissis, Hari Nef, and Juliebeth Gonzalez will make appearances in the show, with Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley, Nico Hiraga, Anne Heche, Maya Eshet, Tyson Ritter, Kate Lyn Sheil, Liz Caribel Sierra, and Finley Rose Slater set to recur. There’s no official release date at this stage, with the project currently listed as “Coming Soon”.

The idol trailer 1
Image: HBO Max

General FAQs

Who is in HBO's The Idol?

Created by The Weeknd, The Idol features performances from Lily Rose Depp, Abel Tesfaye, Troye Sivan, Jennie Kim, Debby Ryan, Rachel Sennott, Steve Zissis, Hari Nef, and Juliebeth Gonzalez will make appearances in the show, with Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Elizabeth Berkley, Nico Hiraga, Anne Heche, Maya Eshet, Tyson Ritter, Kate Lyn Sheil, Liz Caribel Sierra, and Finley Rose Slater.

Is The Idol a true story?

Abel Tesfaye, otherwise known as The Weeknd has confirm that the upcoming HBO series The Idol is a semi-biographical look at his meteoric rise to success in the music industry. There are some elements based on true stories, but the characters and scenarios are fictional.