Johnny Depp Says President Donald Trump Needs 'Help,' Later Apologizes for Controversial Assassination Comment

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Johnny Depp is joining the league of celebrities who’ve made controversial comments about President Donald Trump.

The 54-year-old actor spoke out about Trump on Thursday at the Glastonbury Festival in England.


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Depp was attending a screening of his 2004 film, The Libertine, when he addressed the crowd saying, “Can we bring Trump here?”

When some audience members started booing, he added, “No, no, no, you’ve misunderstood completely. I think he needs help.”

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Depp -- who portrayed Trump in a Funny or Die spoof prior to his presidency -- then mused, “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?” seemingly referencing the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by actor John Wilkes Booth.

The comment was met with mixed reactions from the crowd, some of whom cheered and others who booed. Following this response, Depp added while smiling, “I want to clarify, I’m not an actor. I lie for a living.”

Depp later issued an apology in regard to his remarks about Trump. "I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump," he said in a statement to People on Friday. "It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone."

The White House also released a statement after hearing of Depp's comments. "President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and its [sic] sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead," read the statement. "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."

The Pirates of the Caribbean star is just the latest member of Hollywood to take a controversial stand against the president. Last month, comedian Kathy Griffin found herself in hot water for a photo shoot she did in which she held up a fake bloody head of Trump.


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The incident led to her being fired from CNN and giving a tearful press conference in which she both apologized for any offense the photo may have caused and vowed to continue to speak out against the Trump family.

For more from Griffin’s controversy, watch the clip below!


Originally published on Friday, June 23, 2017 at 6:48 a.m. ET. Last updated on Friday, June 23, 2017 at 2:57 p.m. ET.

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