Bethenny Frankel Defends The Weeknd's "The Idol" Performance: "It’s Totally Realistic"

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Bethenny Frankel & Suzanne Somers Visit FOX Business Networks' "Mornings With Maria"
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 09: Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo interview Bethenny Frankel (L) during' "Mornings With Maria" at Fox Business Network Studios on January 09, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)

Bethenny Frankel has come to the defense of "The Idol."

Bethenny Frankel came to the defense of HBO and The Weeknd in response to negative reviews of The Idol. The Real Housewives of New York City star argued that everything on TV doesn't have to be PG.

“There are 50 sleazy, sleazy Hollywood guys like [The Weeknd’s character] that I remember from living in LA,” she said in a TikTok video Tuesday. “It’s totally realistic, so what are we doing?”

Read More: The Weeknd Beefs With Oreo After Their Recent Diss

The Weeknd, Sam Levinson, & Lily-Rose Depp, At Cannes

CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 23: (L-R) Sam Levinson, Lily-Rose Depp and Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye attend "The Idol" photocall at the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic)

“[People are] making Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd these villains. It’s a fiction story! Don’t watch it!” Frankel added. “Like what happened to everyone? Everything’s supposed to be rinsed? And there are no fictional characters anymore?” Frankel concluded: “Has everyone lost their f–king minds? OK, you don’t like the show, don’t watch it. Suck your thumb, get a pacifier and shut the f–k up!”

The Idol has been getting almost universally negative reviews from critics and fans alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of just 24%. The series follows a fictional pop star named Jocelyn and her relationship with The Weeknd's character, Tedros.

Bethenny Frankel Defends "The Idol"

The Weeknd recently discussed his goals with the series during an interview with Variety. He explained that he wants to show the dark side of fame. "Well, my goal was for people to feel that way when they watch it, you know, and that they’ll reassess [fame]," he explained. "It’s almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous. 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."

Read More: The Weeknd Goes Back & Forth With Twitter Users Over “The Idol”

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.