As a widely admired, reasonably well-paid movie star, Johnny Depp would seem to have a charmed life. But fear not, dear reader; he has problems, just like you. The past year or so has seen Depp endure his share of difficulties, including an embarrassing apology video spurred by a doggie snafu, a messy, public divorce and, most recently an industrial-grade backlash over an assassination joke he made about Donald Trump. Read on for a timeline of his recent troubles.
After the deputy prime minister of Australia threatened to euthanize Depp and then-wife Amber Heard’s Yorkshire terriers when the then-couple brought the pooches Down Under without declaring them, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor and Heard made nice in April 2016 with an exceedingly awkward apology video that was mocked by pretty much everybody, including Depp himself.
The laughingstock video would soon turn out to be the least of Depp’s concerns, as the next month Heard filed for divorce and sought a restraining order against the actor, alleging abuse by Depp.The divorce drama dragged out and made headlines for months.
On Jan. 13, the same day that Depp finalized his divorce from Heard, Depp jumped into another legal entanglement, this time of his own making. Depp sued his former managers for $25 million, accusing them of “gross misconduct” while handling his financial affairs.
Shortly thereafter, Depp’s former managers filed a countersuit, claiming that Depp lived “an ultra-extravagant lifestyle” that he “simply could not afford.” Among the alleged extravagances: Spending $30,000 a month on “expensive wine that [Depp] had flown to him around the world for his personal consumption.”
Depp’s latest headache came in June, following his appearance at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival. While introducing his new film “The Libertine,” the actor took digs at President Donald Trump and joked, “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?”
Perhaps predictably (just ask Kathy Griffin), that didn’t go over so well with many people, including the folks in the White House. A White House official issued a statement reading, “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.”
The backlash prompted an apology from Depp, who issued an apology on Friday stating, “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.”
