Is the Weeknd crazy about the Rolling Stone or is the Rolling Stone crazy about the Weeknd?
On Wednesday, The Weeknd, who serves as a co-creator for the upcoming HBO series The Idol, responded to a Rolling Stone article claiming there were problems in production paradise.
The Grammy winner, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, tweeted shortly after the exhibit went live, “@RollingStone did we upset you?”, along with a clip from the show of his character shadowing the magazine.
The answer came in response to Rolling Stone’s scathing synopsis that claimed HBO’s “The Idol” was plagued with problems. The investigation had 13 sources close to the production, all of whom shared the same sentiment: “It was, shall we say, like a show.”
Rolling Stone reported that the production faced constant delays, reshoots and rewrites. And after Tesfaye felt the show leaned too much toward a “female perspective,” original director Amy Seimetz abruptly left. Then Sam Levinson signed on, and the show’s premise changed drastically into something production sources said was offensive, likening the new version to a rape fantasy.
In the clip The Weeknd shares in his reply, his character from The Idol, Tedros, can be seen hanging out with Lily-Rose Depp’s Jocelyn as they talk to Dan Levy’s character, whose name has not been released.
“So Rolling Stone came back to us for a cover, and I think it’s worth continuing,” Levy’s character says.
“Rolling Stone, aren’t they a little irrelevant?” Tedros replied.
“It’s a traditional brand. I think it’s fail-safe,” says Levy’s character.
“Yeah I don’t know. I feel like it’s almost past its peak,” Jocelyn replied.
“No one cares about Rolling Stone,” says Tedros.
As far as burns go, the Weeknd seemed to have this number ready. But the diss didn’t go down well on social media, where Twitter users slammed it.
“The Weeknd (who seems to play a slightly exaggerated version of herself) and Lily-Rose Depp (who seems to play a slightly exaggerated version of herself) have both done tons of magazine covers, including Rolling Stone!!” tweeted NBC technology reporter Kat Tenbarge.
@sarahdewin criticized Weeknd’s response, saying “Ad hominem arguments probably work well on set in a biopic about male rape fantasies, but not so much as an official statement.”
“22,100 citations and 80% not on your page. Abel, maybe delete it and pretend it never happened? Even if there are snapshots in the future… deny deny deny!” @sassygayroot quote tweeted the original message.
And senior Rolling Stone contributor Brittany Spanos tweeted“Mind you, the weekend has started [to] Starring a Rolling Stone cover story.”
Source: LA Times