After much controversy and talk about The Idol, its first two episodes finally premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2023.

Directed by Sam Levinson, The Idol follows Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), an aspiring pop idol who wishes to reclaim her fame. After having a nervous breakdown that caused her last tour to be canceled, she resolves to reclaim her title as America’s sexiest pop star.

As a result, she begins a complicated relationship with Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), a self-help guru and the leader of a contemporary cult. Much information about the show was revealed after the premiere.

Alexa Demie will make a cameo as Maddy Perez from ‘Euphoria’ in HBO’s new show ‘The Idol.’ pic.twitter.com/zunCaRPFYB— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 23, 2023

One of them is Alexa Demie making a cameo on the show by reprising her role as Maddy Perez from Euphoria.

Alexa Demie as Maddy Perez in ‘The Idol’

Levinson is the mastermind behind Euphoria since he created and wrote the series. Euphoria follows a group of teens in the fictional town of East Highland, California, as they search for optimism while dealing with the stresses of love, grief, and addiction. 

Some of the issues discussed on Euphoria are the same as that of The Idol like drug abuse, social media, toxic relationships, drug dealing, codependency, toxic positivity, rape, sexual assault, hookup culture, and dating violence, among others. 

Therefore, it is not a surprise that Levinson wants to create his own universe like that of Marvel and DC. After it was confirmed that Demie’s character, Perez, would appear on the show, Levinson revealed that Euphoria and The Idol happen in the same universe.

Sam Levinson confirmed at Cannes that ‘Euphoria’ and ‘The Idol’ take place in the same universe. pic.twitter.com/T9GpqgtgV7— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 23, 2023

Demie appears in The Idol as a woman at the club where Jocelyn and Tedros first meet. Despite the fact that she plays a minor role in the plot, it will be a memorable throwback for Euphoria fans who may be watching this series anticipating something similar. 

Unfortunately, not much information regarding her cameo or the role her character plays in the tale has been provided. She may return in the later half of the program, but viewers must wait until the season premieres to find out.

Demie plays the role of Perez in Euphoria and likely The Idol. She is recognized for her outspoken and confident demeanor, and she is generally considered self-assured and fearless to express herself. 

Alexa Demie will reprise her role as Maddy Perez in ‘The Idol.’ (Source: Twitter)

Perez is said to have a strong sense of style and is frequently spotted wearing beautiful and bold clothing. She has a complicated and turbulent relationship with her boyfriend, Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), who is also a significant character in the series. 

Their relationship has ups and downs, including episodes of manipulation, deception, and violence. Despite their difficulties, Perez stays emotionally involved in their relationship.

Perez is shown as a devoted friend who is frequently seen supporting her small group of friends, particularly the main character, Rue Bennett (Zendaya). She is also renowned for her fiery attitude and often combative demeanor.

maddy perez in the idol??? queen is back pic.twitter.com/h4gB2wWlfS— alexa demie archive (@archivedemie) May 23, 2023

Overall, Perez, a character of enormous depth in the highly acclaimed television series, emerges as a fascinating combination of confidence and vulnerability. She is portrayed with complexity and depth and captivates spectators with her bold approach, unusual style, and turbulent relationships. 

The reviews of ‘The Idol’

Ever since its premiere, The Idol is receiving negative reviews, to say the least. Before the premiere, Rolling Stone ran an expose on the series in March 2023. 

According to the article, the initial tone and subject of the screenplay had altered, and instead of being focused on a woman’s quest to restore her own agency, it had allegedly devolved into a demeaning narrative bordering on torture porn. 

Moreover, there were some really troublesome occurrences on-site. However, The Weeknd and Depp defended the show and Levinson.

Lots of strong reactions to #TheIdol out of #Cannes2023 — ranging from “I hated it” to “the TV version of clickbait” to “I don’t need to see any more of Lily-Rose Depp naked.”— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 22, 2023

Levinson was also criticized for his view. Many complained that he oversexualizes and victimizes the female characters in his shows —  as evident in Euphoria.

Regardless, people were giving it the benefit of the doubt. But now, after the premiere of two episodes, the critics are being brutally honest about the show.

Critics are not happy with the presentation of the show, claiming that it is extremely sexualized. They noted that The Idol supports male fantasy which degrades women.

With a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and only one positive review, ‘THE IDOL’ is the lowest rated HBO original of all time. pic.twitter.com/QCHWBI7pHu— One Take News (@OneTakeNews) May 24, 2023

The series has also been called misogynistic and predatory in nature. Initially, The Idol debuted with 20% on Tomatometer of Rotten Tomatoes.

But at the time of writing, it has 9% on Tomatometer with 11 reviews. The critics’ consensus reads, “Every bit as florid and sleazy as the industry it seeks to satirize, The Idol places itself on a pedestal with unbridled style but wilts under the spotlight.”

Looking at the decrease in Tomatometer, it won’t be a surprise if it decreases more from 9% after more reviews come in.

TikTok has grown into a vast platform with countless creators, where having just one viral video is no longer adequate—achieving a place on the top of the viral list has become the ultimate goal.

TikTok has become a hub for creators who leverage trendy and entertaining dance videos to captivate users’ attention. It has propelled many stars like Dixie D’Amelio, Khaby Lame, Addison Rae, and Bella Poarch to celebrity status, catapulting them to immense popularity.

As numerous individuals have witnessed others grow in popularity through TikTok, a strong desire to achieve virality on the platform has emerged among many aspiring creators.

Curious about the most-liked TikTok videos of all time? Keep reading to discover which TikTok creators secured a spot in the top 5 with their highly popular videos.

1. Bella Poarch lip sync to ‘M to the B’ (61.1 million likes)

The most-liked TikTok video of all time features Poarch, who gained popularity by lipsyncing to the song ‘M to the B’ by British rapper Millie B. She posted the video in August 2020. 

This iconic TikTok video went viral as the social media personality captivated viewers with her adorable expressions and synchronized head bobs to the beats of the song. To add to its appeal, she utilized TikTok’s body zoom and focus filters, which further enhanced the visual impact of the video. 

As a result, not only did her charming performance gain immense popularity, but the creative use of the app’s filters also became a viral trend in its own right.

2. Jamie Big Sorrel Horse’s ‘Say It Right’ Dance (51.8 million likes)

In 2022, a TikTok video featuring Native American creator Jamie Big Sorrel Horse became a sensation without relying on complicated narratives or props. 

The video captured a random and relatable moment where Big Sorrel Horse casually danced at home to a remix of Nelly Furtado’s ‘Say It Right’. This authentic and spontaneous display resonated with viewers, causing the video to go viral.

Due to its simplicity and ease of recreation, numerous creators hopped on the bandwagon to make their versions of the viral video.

3. Franek Bielak’s ‘Lips’ art drawing (51.5 million likes)

At the age of just 16, artist Bielak secured a place on the prestigious most-liked TikTok list through his remarkable artwork.

In a captivating TikTok video, Bielak showcased the entire 23-hour process of creating his masterpiece. Inspired by a TikTok featuring a live human lip, he brilliantly conceptualized the idea of painting different fruits within the shape of lips.

This artistic TikTok captivated viewers and quickly went viral, accumulating over 50 million likes to date.

4. Nick Luciano’s parody video (49.8 million likes)

Luciano struck gold when he recreated a hilarious video originally posted by @kaylavoid and shared it himself, syncing it to the trendy tune ‘SugarCrash!’ by ElyOtto. 

This brilliant video quickly caught fire and amassed a staggering 20 million likes in just three days. 

5. David Allen’s ‘Stay’ dance video (45 million likes)

Drone photographer Allen, known as @totouchanemu, joined the trend of dancing to Justin Bieber and The Kid LAROI’s hit song ‘Stay,’ but with his unique twist. 

He skillfully utilized his drone to capture a captivating 360° video, flawlessly showcasing his dance moves from every angle. His creative approach to the trend captivated viewers and showcased his talent as both a dancer and a drone photographer.

Joe Rogan launched his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, on December 24, 2009, on YouTube.

In a matter of a couple of years, it became one of the most popular podcasts in the world with guests such as Bernie Sanders, Elon Musk, Edward Snowden, and  Neil deGrasse Tyson appearing on the show. Rogan uploaded his podcast on YouTube for over a decade.

However, in December 2020, he exclusively signed with Spotify. Since then, his full episodes are only available on Spotify and highlights are uploaded on YouTube.

The Joe Rogan Experience has been the number-one podcast on Spotify ever since it was signed exclusively on the platform. However, it was recently dethroned by The Meer Show.

‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ dethroned by ‘The Meer Show’

On May 18, 2023, The Joe Rogan Experience was dethroned from its position as the top podcast on Spotify. Instead, a brand-new podcast named The Meer Show took its spot.

To date, only one episode of  20 minutes in length has been released and yet, it has managed to take the top position. However, such is only the case on Spotify. On Apple Podcast, they have reached 28th position in the UK Charts.

The Meer Show is a new podcast from the UK from TikTok influencers, Meer Jangi, Grace, and Bailey. Talking about dethroning The Joe Rogan Experience, they told Dextero how they have been trending for the past four weeks, “gaining up to 25k viewers on our lives at once.”

‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ was dethroned by ‘The Meer Show’ on Spotify. (Source: Twitter)

As a result, they decided to make a podcast randomly and called it The Meer Show. They said, “We decided to make the podcast 5 days ago for our followers and then promoted the link from there which boosted our podcast listens and we were able to get really positive feedback from our fans!”

While The Meer Show has dethroned The Joe Rogan Experience, it is unknown when they will be able to hold the #1 spot on Spotify.

Instances of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ being dethroned

This is not the first time The Joe Rogan Experience has been dethroned. In April 2023, TWOTI – This Week on the Internet – hosted by YouTuber WillNE, took the #1 spot on the UK charts.

The YouTube sensation, who founded TWOTI as an on-and-off weekly internet summary video on his channel a few years ago, has been rapidly ascending the rankings in recent weeks and eclipsed Rogan as the #1 podcast in the UK. 

However, it did not take The Joe Rogan Experience to take the spot again. Similarly, in May 2022, Batman Unburied dominated the charts in various countries like the US, the UK, Australia, Mexico, and India, among others. 

In August 2022, Meghan Markle’s podcast, Archetypes, dethroned The Joe Rogan Experience two days after she released the podcast. 

Similarly, in the past, The Joe Rogan Experience has been dethroned in the past by Minecraft stars SapNap and KarlJacobs’ Banter, Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith, as well as the It’s Always Sunny Podcast. 

Regardless of how many times The Joe Rogan Experience has been kicked out of the #1 spot, they have managed to jump back and take their place as the top podcast on Spotify.