Johnny Depp drew flak from both Donald Trump's supporters and detractors after making a joke about the president's assassination at the Glastonbury Festival on Thursday. “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?” he addressed the crowd. His comment was met with boos and applause from the audience, which compelled him to defend himself, “I want to clarify, I’m not an actor.
I lie for a living," the actor added.
I was only trying to muse
After seeing the aftermath of his remarks about the U.S. leader, the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" star immediately issued a statement to PEOPLE to clarify his intention when he joked about Donald Trump. The 54-year-old actor said his remarks were meant to entertain the crowd, and not to promote violence. He also offered his apology to those who took offense of his insensitive comments.
His behavior, however, did not pleased the White House which was quick to respond to Johnny Depp's rhetoric about the American leader. "I hope that some of Mr.
Depp's colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if this was directed towards a democrat elected official," that statement read.
Sean Spicer reiterated Donald Trump's strong condemnation of violence in all forms, while Ronna Romney said it is unacceptable to joke about the president's death. The Chairman of the Republican National Committee specifically slammed celebrities who have been attacking the U.S. leader.
Celebrities against Trump
Johnny Depp is not the first TV personality to be placed in hot water after targeting the president. In May, Kathy Griffin went overboard by using an effigy of Donald Trump's decapitated head in her photo shoot. In fact, the U.S.
leader fired back at the comedian for causing trauma among his children after uploading the "sick" photo.
His response came after the "Suddenly Susan" actress uploaded a video message to apologize for the controversy. She, however, refused to directly apologize to the subject of her bloody photo shoot. Donald Trump, on the other hand, is not buying her "phony" apology. His first lady, Melania, also slammed Kathy Griffin and even questioned the comedian's mental health for coming up with such a "disturbing" idea.
After hearing their side, the TV personality claimed that she was bullied by the first family over the issue. Aside from getting fired as the host of CNN's New Year's Eve broadcast, an emotional Kathy Griffin said she has been receiving death threats after attacking the president.