Johnny Depp Made An Awful Trump Assassination Joke, Proving It’s Time For A Break
Zack Sharf
Johnny Depp needs to go on an extended hiatus. Fresh off the record-low totals for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the actor appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in southern England on Thursday for a screening of his 2004 drama “The Libertine,” and he only had Trump on the brain while making his introduction.
“Can we bring Trump in?” Depp asked the crowd during his opening remarks. “I think Trump needs help. There are a lot of dark places he could go. I’m not insinuating anything – by the way this will be in the press and it will be horrible – but when was the last time an actor assassinated a president?”
We’re not positive Depp knows the answer to that question (the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by actor John Wilkes Booth), but we do know that Depp probably shouldn’t be making assassination jokes abroad. He has every right to crack this kind of joke with his friends and family, but doing it on a global stage in a foreign country isn’t in good taste at all. Remember what happened when the Dixie Chicks joked about Bush?
“Don’t worry, I’m not an actor, I lie for a living,” Depp said after his joke, but that didn’t prevent it from leaving a bad taste in many people’s mouths.
Watch Depp’s Glastonbury appearance below.
UPDATE: The White House has made an official statement in reaction to Depp’s remarks.
WH official sends this response to Johnny Depp comments –> pic.twitter.com/571ELQqo9t
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) June 23, 2017
UPDATE: Johnny Depp has released an official apology. In a statement given to People, Depp said, “I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump. It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone.”
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