‘Euphoria’ Creator Sam Levinson Turned HBO’s ‘The Idol’ Into “Torture Porn” and “Rape Fantasy”: Report

HBO’s highly anticipated series The Idol is reportedly stuck in development hell thanks to Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, according to a bombshell new report published by Rolling Stone.

Cast and crew members opened up about the “extremely frustrating” production process on set, which they say was caused in part by the massive overhaul Levinson implemented when he took over as director and brought some troubling concepts along with him.

“It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it,” one source claimed. Another said, “It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.” 

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UPDATED AT 4:36 P.M. ET: HBO provided a statement to Decider responding to Rolling Stone’s report and shared a statement from Lily Rose-Depp. The network shared: “The creators and producers of The Idol have been working hard to create one of HBO’s most exciting and provocative original programs. The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change.”

They continued, “Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew. We look forward to sharing The Idol with audiences soon.”

Soon after the Rolling Stone report was published, TMZ reported that, “The Rolling Stone story that came out Wednesday about Euphoria creator Sam Levinson’s involvement is not a fair representation of how the lead star of the series feels … which we’re told is optimistic and grateful.”

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Director Amy Seimetz abruptly left The Idol in April 2022 even though the show was already roughly 80 percent finished, Rolling Stone reports. Levinson, who was already attached to the show, took over and drastically increased the show’s sexual content to a point that some described it as “sexual torture porn.”

One scene that was drafted allegedly showed Tesfaye becoming sexually aroused after beating Depp, though it was never shot. Another graphic scene that never made it to production included Depp inserting an egg into her vagina and begging Tesfaye’s character to “rape” her. A source said the crew couldn’t find a way to realistically portray it.

Previous reports credited the overhaul and delays to Tesfaye, claiming he felt the show was focusing more on the “female perspective” under Seimetz. But when Levinson took over and rewrote most of the scripts, the show suddenly went in the complete opposite direction.

“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 production member told Rolling Stone.

Under Seimetz, sources say, The Idol was more about Lily Rose-Depp’s troubled popstar falling for Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye’s sinister nightclub owner and fighting to get her power back. But many of the final episodes were incomplete and the finale hadn’t been written yet, even with production well underway. As a result, much of the writing was left up to Seimetz and her assistant. This caused near-daily changes to the script and production schedules. 

The show then went on hiatus in April, during which it was announced that Levinson would take over.

“It’s really frustrating seeing Amy doing her damn best to turn around some kind of product that she can be somewhat proud of to HBO,” a source told Rolling Stone. “And then [for HBO] to turn around and have Sam get essentially a blank check to turn it into ‘Euphoria Season Three with pop stars’ is extremely, extremely frustrating.”  

Multiple sources also claimed HBO did little to step in. Levinson stopped sending scripts to them, even as production costs ballooned as he added even more stars to the show’s cast, including Dan Levy and K-pop singer Jennie from Blackpink. 

The experience did not leave the crew with a good impression of Levinson, as one source said his version of The Idol was not the show they “signed up for.” 

“I would never work for him ever again,” another source said. “I don’t think I’ll watch Euphoria again after working for him and knowing how he treats his crew.”

While Levinson and Tesfaye did not comment to Rolling Stone, Depp defended the controversial director in a statement provided to Decider through an HBO representative, calling him “the best director” she’s worked with and claiming she has never “felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input and opinions more valued.” 

The Idol still has no official release date. 

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.