“Disgusting,” “F**k the VMAs,” Fans Furious at Johnny Depp’s VMAs Cameo

in Entertainment, Movies & TV

johnny depp wearing wide brimmed hat with scarf and sunglasses

Credit: ABC

Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) star Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance at the 2022 MTV Music Video Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, last night:

Depp floated through the air, a digital image of his face superimposed onto an astronaut suit. He joked that he “needed the work.” After a commercial break, Depp said, “Hey, VMAs, let’s get back to the f***ing music, shall we?”

Related: Inside the Magic Goes “Rogue,” Article Used as Evidence In Depp Trial

Viewers had mixed reactions to Depp’s VMAs cameo. The Edward Scissorhands (1990) star recently won a lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard of Aquaman (2018) fame, for defamation after she wrote an Op-Ed in The Washington Post referring to herself as a victim of domestic abuse. The court found that Heard defamed the Alice in Wonderland (2010) star and awarded him $15 million.

Johnny Depp in the courtroom, wearing sunglasses.
Credit: Screenshot via Law&Crime Network on YouTube

Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2 million in her countersuit against the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) actor after the jury found that his former attorney, Adam Waldman, publicly defamed the Aquaman 2 actress.

Related: Video: Prince Harry Pitches Meghan Markle to Disney Director Jon Favreau

On Twitter, Depp fan @Farmor88 celebrated the Sweeney Todd (2007) actor’s accomplishments since the trial, including his VMAs appearance:

Johnny Depp Post Trial:
* Sold out tour
* $800k NFT charity sale
* £3 million art show
* New album
* Began filming movie in lead role
* Dior contract
* Poetry winner
* Directing a film
* VMA appearance

Amber Heard:
Unemployed

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@Amanda_Clampit also celebrated the appearance, saying it was a “clever” mockery of the media which covered the defamation trial in detail:

Johnny Depp played this well. Clever, actually. He made a mockery of the media. And it worked. 🤣🤣🤣

Others weren’t so happy with Depp’s surprise appearance. Court records released after the trial altered many people’s feelings, including celebrities’, who later withdrew support for Depp. @kyndallrene, an entertainment reporter, wrote:

the johnny depp cameo is so disgusting. i’m sick!

@_celia_bedelia_ said giving Depp the chance to appear at the VMAs would encourage abuse victims to stay quiet:

Johnny Depp – a proven abuser – being at the VMAs making jokes is exactly why abuse victims don’t come forward and why the toxic culture of intimate partner violent persists. The entertainment industry is truly irredeemable.

Another user, @lovingheard, compared Depp’s appearance to the now-infamous Will Smith incident at the Oscars. Many called for Smith to be cancelled and banned from future ceremonies after he slapped Chris Rock for joking about his wife’s alopecia. Smith later resigned from the Academy Awards committee:

Everybody wanted Will Smith blacklisted from award ceremonies over an open palm slap but Johnny Depp can have 12 counts of abuse and rape proven against him as well as assaults going back to 80s and he’s celebrated and included in ceremonies that aren’t even his line of work.

@shxnerusso said he felt disgusted with the entertainment industry for abandoning Heard and supporting Depp:

honestly f*ck the VMA’s for including Johnny Depp. the entire crowd of Amber’s industry peers are cheering for her abuser. it makes me sick. the industry hasn’t changed at all. not surprised, but still so disappointed.

What do you think about Depp’s appearance at the VMAs? 

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