‘The Idol’ actor blasts ‘feminists’ over exploitive set claims: ‘Go f–k yourself’
“The Idol” actor Jane Adams has three choice words for “feminists” who continue to believe that the women of the controversial HBO series, including star Lily-Rose Depp, were exploited during filming:
“Go f–k yourself.”
Rumors that the series turned into unseemly “torture porn” stem from a Rolling Stone article published before “The Idol” even premiered.
“What is amazing to me is no one’s listening — I’ve not seen that before in all my days, such a dogged ‘We refuse to change the narrative,’” Adams, 58, recently told Vanity Fair. “I especially want to say to all the feminists, ‘Go f–k yourself.’ All these women that I’m working with are talking about their experience, and you’re not listening. You’re not listening!”
Thirteen people allegedly associated with the project claimed that the show got a dark, misogynistic twist when star and co-creator The Weeknd tapped “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson to reimagine it.
“It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better,” one anonymous source told the publication.
However, Depp, Adams and actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph have all expressed otherwise as the show — which streams on Max — continued to face criticism from viewers.
“The Idol” told the story of Jocelyn (Depp), a troubled pop star, who tries to get her career back on track when she meets a sleazy, controlling night club owner named Tedros (The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye.)
Adams portrayed Nikki Katz, a money-hungry record-label executive who — spoiler alert — gets a lap dance from one of Jocelyn’s new eccentric friends in the season finale.
“I love the show,” Adams doubled down with Vanity Fair. “These days, to certain people, you almost have to apologize when you dislike something or you love something. I don’t really care anymore. That is one good thing about being a gray-haired lady — it’s almost like you get a license to not care.”
She later added: “Free speech is the license to offend, period, full stop. The funniest stuff, to me, is going to offend a group of people no matter what you do.”
HBO declined to comment when contacted by The Post.
The Post also reached out to a representative for Adams for comment.
Depp most recently defended the show to Vogue Australia, claiming that its infamous sex scenes are “important” and “intentional.
She also maintained that the environment on set was a “really safe, creative space.”
“I’ve never felt more respected and more safe on a set, honestly,” Depp said. “And I think the trust that we all built with each other, you and I, and Sam and I, and Abel and I, that can only make for a really safe-feeling set.”
Randolph told Variety that her on-set experience was nothing like what was described in the Rolling Stone article.
“There were long hours. But every show is that way,” she of the one detail that was “absolutely 100% true.”
“I did not feel like I was being abused over the hours. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary or abusive or crazy,” she added.
HBO has yet to announce whether “The Idol” will get a second season.
