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Johnny Depp Apologizes for Trump Assassination Joke
June 23, 2017
Last Updated: June 23, 2017
Composite image of President Trump (L) and Johnny Depp (R) (Mandel Nagan/AFP/Getty Images and Adam Bettcher/Getty Images for Starkey Hearing Foundation)
Johnny Depp has apologized for his comments about assassinating President Donald Trump.
The actor issued the apology after major backlash from detractors and fans alike on social media regarding his talk in Glastonbury, U.K., where he asked the crowd: “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?”
“I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump,” Depp said in a statement to People magazine.
“It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone.”
Depp appeared before the crowd to introduce a screening of his 2004 film The Libertine, when he made the insinuation about assassinating Trump.
The White House responded to Depp’s comments with a statement calling his actions “sad.”
“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,” the statement read, according to ABC.
Actor Johnny Depp.(Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NAMM)
The Secret Service also issued a statement, saying that the department actively monitors threats toward the president.
Many of Depp’s fans were upset by his words, with some saying they will boycott his movies.
The actor’s comments were also poorly timed: last week Republican congressmen were shot at during a practice match in the leadup to an annual Republican vs Democrat baseball game. Rep. Steve Scalise was critically injured in the shooting.
“While #SteveScalise is in critical condition, you ‘joke’ about assassination of the President of the United States?” tweeted actor James Woods.
While #SteveScalise is in critical condition, you “joke” about assassination of the President of the United States? https://t.co/2iKGkTOSZF
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) June 23, 2017
“No joke about killing @POTUS is acceptable,” wrote GOP Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel. “I’m sick of celebrities getting away with such disgusting comments.”
Previous incarnations of insinuating the president’s assassination have backfired.
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On June 15, police arrested and charged an Illinois man who posted threats against the president on social media. Joseph Lynn Pickett posted profanity-filled and detailed threats on Facebook, which were seen by his co-workers at Lowes. The co-workers reported Pickett to the secret service.
Delta Airlines and Bank of America dropped their sponsorships of New York Public Theater after it stood by its production of “Julius Caesar,” which featured an on-stage assassination of a President Trump lookalike.
Meanwhile, comedian Kathy Griffin lost her only sponsor, her New Year’s CNN gig, and had all of the upcoming performances on her tour canceled after posting a photograph of herself holding a mock bloodied and severed head of President Trump.