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'Sam Levinson your writing will never prosper': Viewers accuse 'The Idol' creator of 'romanticizing mental illness'

Sam Levinson, who had to defend the HBO series from several controversies before its premiere, was called out again for the 'mental illness is sexy' line in 'The Idol'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: On June 4, 2023, HBO aired its new series 'The Idol', which stirred a lot of controversy up to its release. Soon after the series' global debut, director Sam Levinson came under fire again, this time for "romanticizing mental illness".

Early reviews have labeled the show created by the 'Euphoria' creator as "toxic" and "disturbing", while a recent Rolling Stone piece stated the show bordered on "sexual torture porn" while criticizing Levinson's leadership on the production. The series follows Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), a singer who had a mental breakdown on her previous tour. In the sexually charged series, she meets with the enigmatic nightclub promoter Tedros aka The Weeknd to try to turn her career around. Elizabeth Berkley, Hank Azaria, DaVine Joy Randolph, Rachel Sernott, Jane Adams, Dan Levy, and Anne Heche, in one of her final performances, all appear in the series.

'Mental illness is sexy'

The series started with a warning that it contains "violence, nudity, and sexual content". The first shot showed Jocelyn during a photo shoot, where the photographer instructs her to giggle and then show off her "innocent" appearance. He instructs her to appear "studious" and then "play with the camera" before offering "pure sex" and "vulnerable" glances. The photographer continued to picture Jocelyn, who looked to be sobbing while wearing an open red robe. Others were just out of sight as they moved in to primp Jocelyn for additional photos, and she took a draw on her cigarette as the title card appeared.

Nikki aka Jane Adams was talking with Chaim aka Hank Azaria just outside the photo shoot as someone protested that she shouldn't be wearing a medical bracelet. "You people are so out of touch. Stop trying to c**k-block America," Nikki remarked, explaining that he isn't a prude but doesn't think she should be wearing a medical wristband since "mental illness is sexy."

'Please stop glamorizing it'

Levinson, who had to defend the HBO series from reports of a chaotic set that glorified rape onscreen before its premiere, was called out again by viewers for the statement about "mental illness." On Twitter, a person wrote, "“Mental illness is sexy” Sam after writing that horrible a** line…"

Another person noted, "“Are we romanticizing mental illness” “absolutely” ???" One viewer felt, "“Mental illness is sexy” wow first 10 minutes and i already wanna turn this off." A fourth viewer found it cringy as they wrote, "Mental illness is not sexy please stop glamorizing it."

Already trying to boycott the series, one viewer tweeted, "Man The Idol just had a character say “Mental Illness is sexy”. I’m cutting this s**t off lmao." While another person asked, "WHAT?!!!! HELLO FROM SAYING MENTAL ILLNESS IS SEXY TO SOFFACATING ?! what is this show?"

Another user added, "Mental illness is sexy”…oh sam levinson your writing will never prosper." One viewer added, "It felt like it was written by AI. every single scene was cringey. I stopped paying attention the moment the lady said "mental illness is sexy".

'The Idol' airs new episodes every Sunday at 9 pm on HBO Max.

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