Selena Gomez has claimed that The Weeknd used her real-life trauma as inspiration for the character of Jocelyn in The Idol. The controversial HBO show, co-created by The Weeknd alongside Sam Levinson, concluded last Sunday following an embattled five-episode run. The show follows Jocelyn (Lily Rose-Depp), a world-famous pop star looking to bounce back after a recent fall from grace. However, instead, she falls into the arms of self-help influencer and cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd). The two begin a torrid, debauched relationship where the show wants you to question who is really manipulating who.
However, the show ended up being a ham-fisted male power fantasy that was hated by critics and fans alike. The Weeknd forced the original director, Amy Seimetz, off the show after it gained too much of a "female perspective". What viewers got instead was a shallow show about a female character as told by two men who want you to root for her abusive boyfriend instead. Furthermore, the show appeared to simply be a vehicle for "shocking" sex scenes. However, not Gomez is dropping some major bombshells about the limited series.
Gomez Notes "Uncanny Similarities" Between Her Life And The Idol
Gomez dated The Weekend for 10 months between 2016 and 2017. Of course, Gomez came up through the hellscape that was tween programming in the late 2000s and early 2010s. While she never worked with Nickelodeon's Dan Schneider, she was the face of Disney Channel's Wizards Of Waverly Place. "The similarities between Selena's life and Jocelyn's life are just uncanny," the insider shared. "Being [that] she actually dated The Weeknd, it is even more creepy for her. Her real-life pain was used for entertainment value and that really irks her out. Everyone in her team who has known her for a very long time is dumbfounded by this, but at the end of the day Selena is going to do what she always does – rise above and move on."
So what exactly are the similarities? Well, both Jocelyn and Gomez are child actors turned pop stars who fall for The Weeknd before being (allegedly in Gomez's case) emotionally abused by him. However, it goes deeper than that. Jocelyn is seen blowing kisses to the camera, a signature mannerism of Gomez. Furthermore, Jocelyn is also seen being very warm with her fans in a similar way to Gomez. Additionally, both women fight for the right to shoot a topless album cover while also suffering very public mental breakdowns. Meanwhile, both of their post-hospitalization "first moves" feature them posing in lingerie with a hospital bracelet on. However, it's not the first time that The Weeknd has used his work to take shots at Gomez. Several songs released after their breakup have lyrics aimed at her.
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