When Johnny Depp’s ‘Poor Joke’ About Trump Led to the Secret Service Getting Involved

Johnny Depp had to face the Secret Service after his 'poor taste' in taking a jab at the then President of the United States, Donald Trump. As per Reuters, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor was attending the screening of his 2004 film The Libertine at the Glastonbury festival in 2017 when the topic of discussion turned towards Trump running the presidential race. Depp engaged the crowd before adding, "When was the last time an actor assassinated a President?” He continued, "I want to clarify. I'm not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it's been a while. And maybe it's time." 

The U.S. Secret Service said it 'was aware of Depp’s comments', the shocking statement drew parallels with actor John Wilkes Booth assassinating U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Republicans hugely criticized Depp’s comments, Ronna Romney McDaniel, the Republican National Committee Chairwoman, tweeted, “I’m sick of celebrities getting away with such disgusting comments." His statement also drew flak from ardent Trump supporters.

For its part, the Secret Service revealed, “For security reasons, we cannot discuss specifically nor in general terms the means and methods of how we perform our protective responsibilities." As per CNN, the White House also issued an official statement, "President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and, sadly, 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 Fantastic Beasts actor apologized for his blatant joke saying his remarks were not 'malicious.' “I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump,” Depp, 54, said in a statement. “It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone.” 

As per The Things, the protagonist of Jeanne Du Barry portrayed the former president in 2016 Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie. Depp spoke about his spoof experience, saying, "It's not about being a rich kid or anything like that. I approached Donald Trump as what you see when you really watch him. There's a pretense, there's something created about him, in a sense of bully-dom. But what he is, I believe, is a brat."

Fans were impressed with his imitations. "Johnny Depp can literally play anyone and anything," a fan wrote on YouTube. "This movie is so good. Needed to laugh and gonna watch again," a second fan commented. Most of Depp's fans knew that he was joking with the 'poor' comment on Trump, however, the 45th President of the United States did not release any official statement against Depp.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on August 23, 2023. It has since been updated.