Idol viewers are upset by Epstein’s joke: ‘Sickest show ever’

The idol, the HBO max series starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd, is under fire. Viewers stand with torches and pitchforks around director Sam Levinson over a joke about predator and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

During the premiere of the first two episodes at the Cannes Film Festival The idol a standing ovation. It is doubtful that this would also happen after the joke about Jeffrey Epstein in the third episode.

Epstein joke in The Idol goes wrong

Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in his cell in 2019, has been convicted of a huge scandal in which he abused women and girls for years. You know, on that island, where, among others, British Prince Andrew also assaulted a minor. You can see more explanation in the shocking Netflix documentary Filthy rich.

The idol is about fictional pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who falls for dubious club owner, self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd) after a nervous breakdown. She’s trying to claim her name as America’s Sexiest Pop Star. The HBO Max series was supposed to be a satirical protest against the entertainment industry, but after a change in director, it turned into a kind of “torture porn” according to many viewers and critics. And then episode 3 had to come out.

‘Sickest thing I’ve ever seen on TV’

The character who played the crude joke in episode 3 of The idol is Andrew Finkelstein, played by Eli Roth. In the series, this is Ramsey’s Live Nation representative, the artist playing himself. At one point, he says, “I’m shitting more blood than a kid on Epstein’s island.” We don’t think we need to translate.

And that went wrong. viewers of The idol disgusted with the joke. “The sickest thing I’ve ever seen in a series or on TV,” replies a viewer on Twitter. “What the hell is wrong with you Sam Levinson (director, red.)? It’s disgusting that someone thought: this could be a good joke,” another commented. And so it continues for a long time on social networks.

Sam Levinson in Idol making a joke about the children on Epstein Island.

What the hell happens to you?

It’s fucking disgusting for someone to think “this could be a good joke”. pic.twitter.com/kXGqwgbbXD

—Teresa (@theresefilms) June 19, 2023

The Epstein line I just heard on episode 3 of The Idol is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard on TV.

— RUBY ???????? (@venomousruby) June 19, 2023

that Epstein line on the idol is disgusting.

— KiraGula (@obilanusbert) June 19, 2023

Granted, the Epstein’s Island comment was too much for me on the new episode of The Idol.

Let’s not joke about child trafficking

— elayne douglas @HEDouglas99 June 19, 2023

“I’m shitting more blood than a child on Epstein’s island” #TheIdolHBO #the idol pic.twitter.com/OiaS4Vvdn1

— Rosalind ♀️ (@rozbotpate) June 19, 2023

I love Abel’s music and I think he’s a masterful artist, but who writes this shit?

Epstein’s line is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever heard. #The idol

—Cameron (@camy_934) June 19, 2023

‘The series has become what I wanted to tease’

Initially, Amy Seimetz was hired to direct The idol, but after filming most of the series, he left the project. She told the story from a female perspective, Epstein’s joke was never understood under her supervision. The new director Sam Levinson (Euphoria), however, took a different turn, with more sexual abuse and nude scenes. This has made the series, according to critics, what they wanted to mock. Not surprisingly, the HBO Max show only gets 27% rotten tomatoes. Read more about the criticism, summarized as “torture porn,” here.