The Idol Selena Gomez

The Idol is being called out for ‘creepy’ similarities to Selena Gomez’s career in 2016

‘Selena doesn’t deserve any of this’


Those who have been tuning into The Idol have noticed there are some serious similarities between the main character, Jocelyn, and Selena Gomez and the challenges she faced in her career from 2016 to 2017.

The HBO series follows Jocelyn, who had a nervous breakdown and had to cancel her tour, as she embarks on a relationship with a “self-help guru”, played by The Weeknd.

People have begun to notice that some key scenes with Jocelyn are almost the same moments Selena Gomez went through, showing side by side comparisons of interviews with the pop star and the TV show. These are all the events in The Idol viewers think mirror things Selene Gomez went through.

Jocelyn does a topless album cover like Selena did for Revival

In The Idol series, Jocelyn and others talk about doing a topless album cover, to which she says: “It is my body”. Viewers have been drawing comparisons between the album cover in the series to Selena Gomez’s album cover for Revival.

Much like in the series, Selena Gomez shut down people who questioned the choice of album cover. During a radio appearance, she said: “I’m not going to let them get to me.”

Jocelyn was a child actor just like Selena was

via HBO

Another part of Jocelyn’s character is that she was a child actor, and had millions of people growing up and watching her on TV, just like Selena Gomez. Selena’s rise to fame came off the back of starring as the lead in Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place.

In The Idol, one of the characters tells Jocelyn they grew up watch her to which she responded: “That’s so sweet”. Fans of Selena drew up another comparison to an interview Selena Gomez did when an interviewer asked about Wizards of Waverly Place. Selena responded to the interviewer: “You’re so sweet”.

Jocelyn cancelled her tour due to her mental health like Selena Gomez did

During and episode of The Idol, a group of characters discuss Jocelyn’s recently cancelled tour due to her mental health. “I’m just worried she is having another psychotic break,” one character says before someone replies: ” “But she never had a psychotic break, she was just exhausted.”

Selena Gomez previously cancelled her tour due to her health and checked herself into a psychiatric facility after a reported emotional breakdown.

Fans noticed Selena Gomez moaned in parts of Bad Liar, much like Jocelyn does in The Idol

When Selena Gomez was in a relationship with The Weeknd, fans noticed she would often “moan” her words, something Jocelyn does in The Idol when with The Weeknd’s character. In particular, fans noticed it in Selena’s song Bad Liar.

Talking about God in interviews

Selena often talks about God in interviews, especially when talking about her faith. The singer was known to attend Hillsong Church before quitting in 2021.

In a scene in The Idol, Jocelyn is asked who she answers to, to which she replies: “God”.

Selena expressed she felt wasn’t taken seriously as an artist which is mirrored by Jocelyn in The Idol

via HBO

Selena Gomez has publicly spoken about feeling she isn’t taken seriously as an artist and has often thought about quitting. In an interview with Vogue, Selena said: “It’s hard to keep doing music when people don’t necessarily take you seriously.

“I’ve had moments where I’ve been like, ‘What’s the point? Why do I keep doing this?’ Lose You to Love Me I felt was the best song I’ve ever released, and for some people, it still wasn’t enough.”

In a scene in The Idol, Jocelyn tells The Weeknd’s character she wants to be taken seriously. When asked why, she responds: “Because I do. I want to have a career that lasts, that isn’t a f**king joke.”

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Featured image credit via HBO.