Johnny Depp Apologizes To Donald Trump Over Controversial Assassination Joke (Photo Credit – Wikipedia)
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In 2019, President Donald Trump found himself the target of Johnny Depp’s contempt. Depp, who, like most Americans, had grown increasingly frustrated over the polarizing Trump presidency, sparked controversy for joking about assassinating the former president. However, following intense backlash, The Pirates of The Caribbean star apologized, saying he “intended no malice.”
In 2017, during an appearance at a large music festival in Britain, Johnny Depp asked the crowd, “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?”
The Pirates of the Caribbean star then quipped, “I want to qualify; I am not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it has been awhile and maybe it is time.”
Depp’s joke was reportedly in reference to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth in 1865. Depp’s remark came after comedian Kathy Griffin made a similar joke posing for a photograph in which she gripped a fake president’s severed, bloody head. The joke cost Giffin her job co-hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve special and had all her upcoming comedy shows also cancelled.
Following the backlash, Depp apologized to Donald Trump, saying, “It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone.”
Shortly after Depp’s comments at the music festival, the White House issued a statement strongly condemning the joke and encouraged other Hollywood stars to speak out.
The statement read, “President Trump has condemned violence in all forms, and it’s sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead. I hope that some of Mr. Depp’s colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a Democrat elected official.”
