The Idol: is it based on a true story? Was Britney Spears inspiration for Lily-Rose Depp’s Jocelyn

The Idol is a new HBO gritty drama series created by Sam Levinson and starring The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp.

The series has been met with mostly negative reviews, including our own which called it ‘sloppily directed…with an odd kind of tonal imbalance’, and the premiere watched by just over 900,000 people - a 17% drop on Euphoria’s debut.

Despite not blowing audiences away, the series has been a hot topic recently, driven by the controversy surrounding the explicit nature of the show and allegations of a toxic work environment.

But beyond all that, audiences have noticed that the dark series, which follows the chaotic life of a young female pop star living under the constant glare of the media, bares a strong similarity to a certain real life pop singer.

Is The Idol actually based on the life of Toxic singer Britney Spears? This is everything you need to know about the inspiration for the series:

Is The Idol based on Britney Spears?

Since The Idol has begun airing on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK, many viewers have speculated that the main character, Jocelyn, is inspired by real-life pop star Britney Spears.

Creators and cast of The Idol have been keen to stress that the series is not based on any one individual real person, but that it rather is meant to explore the dark side of celebrity as a whole.

Lily-Rose Depp, who plays Jocelyn, denied that the character is based on Britney, and said that she was inspired by a number of people when preparing for the role, adding that while some of those people were pop stars, others weren’t. 

The Weeknd also reiterated that the series was not based on Britney, but said that he had taken inspiration from her as well as Madonna and other pop stars who had gone through personal struggles.

However, there are some clear similarities between Jocelyn and Britney - The Idol follows Jocelyn as she has a nervous breakdown and tries to regain her position as a pop star.

Britney had an infamous breakdown in 2007 in which she shaved her head and attacked a paparazzi with an umbrella. The breakdown was reportedly brought on by a custody battle over the right to see her children during her divorce from Kevin Federline, as well as unrelenting media attention.

Both Britney and Jocelyn also have a similar stage presence - they both put on hyper-sexualised performances, wearing skimpy outfits during stage shows. 

Who is Tedros in The Idol based on?

According to Tesfaye, Tedros is not based on any real figure. The name, which means ‘a gift from God’, originated in Ethiopia and Eritrea and is a nod to Tesfaye’s heritage.

Tesfaye explained that whilst he was used to playing characters - The Weeknd is a persona rather than his actual personality (he also played a fictionalised version of The Weeknd in the Adam Sandler film Uncut Gems, which must have got confusing) - he didn’t draw on any of his own experiences to play Tedros.

Whilst Tedros has similarities to many sinister cult leaders including Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Keith Raniere, the character is entirely fictional and created for the series.