Selena Gomez thinks The Weeknd is ‘using her pain for entertainment’ in The Idol

Selena Gomez believes that her ex-boyfriend The WeekndHBO show The Idol – and is  ‘irked’ by the many ‘uncanny similarities’ between Lily-Rose Depp’s character and her own life.

A source close to Selena, 30 – who dated The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, for 10 months in 2017 before they split – tells DailyMail.com that the singer and actress is ‘irked’ by the comparisons that can be drawn between her life and that of Lily-Rose Depp’s character.

‘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.’

To those unfamiliar with the controversial HBO series, The Idol follows a pop star named Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose, 24, whose life is turned upside down when she meets nightclub owner and cult leader Tedros, played by The Weeknd.

Even those who have not seen the controversial show could not fail to notice the glaring similarities that exist between Selena and Lily-Rose’s character in the HBO series, who was created by The Weeknd and Euphoria showrunner Sam Levinson.

First, there is the obvious fact that Selena dated The Weeknd in real life, while Jocelyn falls for his on-screen role.

Beyond that however, the entire plot of The Idol centers around Jocelyn’s very dramatic and painful personal struggles, which bear eerie similarities to the mental health struggles that Selena went through during her relationship with The Weeknd.

Unbelievably talented and extremely famous, both Selena and Jocelyn rose to the top of their singing career as childhood actors.

Selena and Jocelyn have similar mannerisms, one of them being ‘blowing kisses,’ which Selena has been photographed doing dozens of times throughout her career.

Although a subtle similarity, Jocelyn looks directly into the camera and blows a kiss in the second episode of The Idol.

Selena has always had a very personal relationship with her fans and has taken time to sign autographs and take selfies with crowds of fans that were lined up outside of places she was at. Jocelyn has a similar approach to her adoring fans and, on the outside, appears very connected to them.

But there are also very dark and disturbing similarities between Selena and her ex’s created character.

In 2015, Selena faced backlash for her decision to go topless for the cover of her new album at the time, Revival. When asked about it in a radio interview, Selena clapped back by saying, ‘I am not going to let them get to me.’

In the show’s premiere episode, Jocelyn was forced to fight for the right to do a topless album cover, telling her management, ‘It’s my body.’

In 2016, Selena suffered a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with Lupus and cancelled the last few shows of her Revival tour to enter a psychiatric facility.

In her documentary, she revealed that she was also suffering from exhaustion at the time due to being overworked.

Coincidentally, Jocelyn also was forced to cancel her tour when she had a mental breakdown following her mom’s passing. After being treated, part of her team expressed worry that she would have ‘another psychotic break.’

The others insisted that ‘she was just exhausted.’

The most disturbing of parallels occurred after both women were released from treatment following their breakdowns.

Selena’s first gig post-rehab was a video shoot for her hit song at the time, Bad Liar. She was told to keep her hospital bracelet on for the video, which also had her hands tied in bondage while dressed in lingerie.

Jocelyn also was also told to keep her hospital bracelet on for a photoshoot following treatment. Dressed in skimpy lingerie as well, she was told by her team that the bracelet would ‘make her more relatable’ to fans.

The Weeknd and Selena began dating at the start of 2017, during which time the starlet kept out of the spotlight while dealing with her health and other personal matters.

Soon after they split in October 2017, she was seen spending time with on-off ex Justin Bieber. They were photographed together, however, before she announced that she had split with The Weeknd.

It has never been clarified as to whether Selena had officially ended her relationship with The Weeknd when she started seeing Justin again.

Although The Weeknd has not spoken out publicly about the situation, he has used his art before to air their dirty laundry.

This included several references to Selena in lyrics to songs that he released immediately following the split.

In his song Call Out My Name, he sang, ‘Guess I was just another pit stop / ‘Til you made up your mind / You just wasted my time.’

In the song, he included lyrics that suggested he would have been willing to donate a kidney to Selena, who had undergone a kidney transplant prior to the start of her relationship with him.

‘I said I didn’t feel nothing baby, but I lied / I almost cut a piece of myself for your life,’ sings the crooner.

The Weeknd has gotten a ton of heat from Selena’s die-hard legions of fans, while The Idol has gotten equal criticism.

Many of them have taken to Twitter to express their concern.

After episode three aired, Twitter user @d_ingsincebirth expressed her distaste in a tweet that read: ‘The Idol has so many Selena Gomez parallels. Jocelyn is very Selena coded. Also, Tedros has a cult, and the church Selena went to some people said has cult vibes. Abel is one of the creators and probably took inspiration from dating her. Doesn’t paint the Weekend in the best light.’

Another Twitter user @smeksy11144 wrote, ‘The fact that it’s so undeniable that the idol is written about Selena Gomez is crazy I’m shooook.’

The HBO series – which was co-helmed by Sam Levinson, The Weeknd, and Reza Fahim – has been described as ‘torture porn’, with much of the controversy focusing on its explicit content.

The Weeknd recently addressed the backlash and insisted the sex scenes in the show aren’t meant to be ‘overtly sexy.’

When the show was announced in 2021, it was given six episodes. It was shortened to five episodes by producers, leading viewers to believe that the show was over and that there would not be a season two.

HBO quickly shut down reports that the show was pulled in a statement that read: ‘It is being misreported that a decision on a second season of The Idol has been determined.’

As the fate of the sexy thriller remains in limbo, The Weeknd threw a subtle hint that there is going to be another season when he shared photos from the taping of the finale on Instagram on Monday.

‘The finale. Grateful to share this moment with you all as the season comes to an end,” the ‘Blinding Lights’ singer wrote, “Continue to push the vision no matter how bumpy the journey. Jocelyn Forever,’ the superstar singer wrote.

In an interview with Vulture, the actress who plays Jocelyn’s manager, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, also expressed that they are hoping for another season of the show.

‘When you finish a project, it’s always like, “Is there a possibility for season two?” And they’re always like, “Yeah, for sure!”

‘It’s everyone’s desire and intention to do a season two, and until we hear differently, that’s the plan.