#FireDepp Trends On Twitter As Outrage Mounts For Disney To Fire An Apologetic Johnny Depp
If you’ve been on Twitter lately you might have noticed that a movement has sprung up calling for Disney to fire Johnny Depp. Thousands of tweets have come flooding in with the hash tag #FireDepp, demanding that Disney severe their ties with the beleaguered actor after Depp recently made a joke about assassinating President Trump before a large crowd at the Glastonbury music festival in the U.K.
“When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?” Depp asked the crowd during his appearance at the festival on Thursday. Depp then stated that “it has been a while and maybe it is time.” His comment was in reference to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth, and drew immediate backlash on Twitter and various other social media sites.
Depp has since issued an apology for his remarks, stating that his intention was only “to amuse, never to harm anybody.”
But the apology has done little to assuage the anger of keyboard activists around the web who are collectively trying to pressure Disney into firing Depp. Some have even pointed out that Disney fired the popular YouTuber PewDiePie after the internet sensation made a series of anti-Semitic jokes. Many people have expressed frustration over the fact that Depp should retain his relationship with Disney while PewDiePie lost his.
But many of the tweets calling for Disney to fire Depp highlight another reason why the company should dump the actor. Johnny Depp had been accused of physically assaulting his former wife, Amber Heard, who released images online of her battered face after the alleged attacks. The #FireDepp movement has pointed to these accusations of domestic abuse as another reason for why Disney should give Depp the boot.
Wife beater, Financial collapse. Emotional collapse. Drugs? And now threatening a president…He sounds unstable…@Disney should #FireDepp
— Lisa (@Rockprincess818) June 23, 2017
Disney and Depp have collaborated on numerous projects over the years, including the mega popular Pirates of the Caribbean franchise in which Depp stars as the Rum-loving pirate, Jack Sparrow.
Should Disney decide to cut the cord on its relationship with Depp, it risks losing out on the popular draw that Depp’s celebrity status brings to his movies. For this reason, Disney may choose to continue collaborating with Depp on future projects, despite the temporary blowback against the star.
But if the company does decide to release Depp in the wake of these anti-Trump comments, its decision would not be without precedence. Comedian Kathy Griffin likewise joked about Trump’s assassination in a photo shoot earlier this year, which lead to her losing a number of sponsorships and jobs.
White House Condemns Johnny Depp’s Presidential Assassination Remark: “Sad” https://t.co/pFR7mrfQwV via @deadline ?
— Lalanya (@Luvlylayy) June 24, 2017
Disney could choose to bestow Depp with a similar fate as an attempt to distance itself from the actor and his past statements and actions. Doing so would likely boost its own public image. In the meantime, the Twitter storm over Depp continues to rage, as more and more people on the site urge Disney to #FireDepp.
What do you think Disney should do? Feel free to leave a comment below.
[Featured Image by Jordan Strauss/AP Images]
