5-7-2023 (LOS ANGELES) HBO’s Idol TV series concluded with a shocking finale that targeted rapper Kanye West, alluding to his admiration for Adolf Hitler and his vile anti-Semitic outbursts. The scene in question featured Lily-Rose Depp’s character, Jocelyn, who was putting on a showcase for her management team in an effort to convince them that she was prepared for an upcoming tour.
During the scene, Jocelyn’s agent, referring to her relationship with Tedros, played by The Weeknd, stated, “You know, f*****g Kanye was filling arenas until he decided to start following Adolf Hitler.” West, also known as Ye, faced significant consequences for his social media rants last year, including being banned from Twitter and losing several lucrative sponsorship deals.
In December 2022, the rapper, who is Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband, caused widespread outrage with his comments expressing his ‘liking’ and ‘love’ for Hitler, defending Nazis, and denying the Holocaust during an unhinged appearance on the podcast Infowars.
The finale of Idol served as the perfect opportunity to take a jab at Kanye West.
Starring Lily-Rose Depp as the pop star Jocelyn, HBO’s Idol TV series airs locally on BINGE. In the final episode, Depp’s character showcased her talent to her management team, hoping to convince them of her readiness to resume touring. Her agent’s statement, “You know, f***ing Kanye was filling arenas until he decided to start following Adolf Hitler,” appeared to be a reference to Jocelyn’s relationship with Tedros, portrayed by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye.
Throughout the series, Tedros preys on Jocelyn, a troubled pop idol, and the two engage in explicit sex scenes that have garnered criticism from fans and TV critics alike. Despite the backlash, The Weeknd continues to defend the show, stating in a recent interview with Variety that he fully expected the heavy criticism and that the show is intentionally pushing boundaries and experimenting with genres.
Last November, West faced a lawsuit from a former employee who alleged that the rapper repeatedly expressed admiration for Hitler and Nazism during various business meetings. The Yeezy founder, 46, reached a settlement agreement with the employee and denied the claims made in the settlement.
Furthermore, it was revealed that West had reportedly considered naming his 2018 album “Hitler” after the infamous dictator but ultimately changed his mind for undisclosed reasons, as reported by CNN.
In a TMZ interview infamous for his controversial statements about slavery being “a choice,” West also allegedly professed his love for the German dictator. Van Lathan, speaking on his Higher Learning podcast last October, recounted how a Jewish staff member at TMZ confronted West over his anti-Semitic comments, to which the rapper reportedly showed no change in his views.
Lathan commented, “When I saw [the new tweets], I was like, ‘Oh, I knew that this was eventually coming.’ As a matter of fact, I had anticipated it coming, like, way earlier than this,” referring to West’s numerous anti-Semitic posts that resulted in his ban from the platform last year.
In response to the musician’s behavior, many celebrities swiftly denounced him, and companies such as Adidas, Gap, Balenciaga, JPMorgan Chase, and Vogue severed their ties with him.
West, a multi-Grammy award winner who has been open about his bipolar disorder, later stood by his remarks when questioned about his apologies for making anti-Semitic comments.
Even Kim Kardashian, West’s ex-wife, and her family members spoke out against him, which was a rare move at the time. Khloé Kardashian, West’s former sister-in-law, took to Instagram to express her support for her “Jewish friends and the Jewish people.”
