In a surprising turn of events, it was reported on Thursday (November 3rd) that Johnny Depp will be the first male to appear in a “spotlight moment” during Rihanna‘s Savage X Fenty show. This comes shortly after Depp’s highly publicized defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, which sparked broader conversations about domestic abuse.
Considering Rihanna’s history as a survivor of domestic violence, this news came as a shock to many. People took to social media to address the situation.
Producer and activist Drew Dixon wrote on Twitter, “Johnny Depp has been embraced as a hero by unhinged right-wing misogynist extremists, and now he's been invited to appear in the @SavageXFenty show. Never expected such a powerful woman to succumb to the #MeToo backlash. Really disappointing @rihanna.”
Another Twitter user commented, “The saddest thing about this man's smear campaign that made him win and set women's rights 50 years back with fellow abusers suing their victims is that is that he got real victims of domestic violence like Rihanna supporting him, he convinced the world that he was the victim.”
One person wrote, “If she’s not dumping pig’s blood all over his head, I don’t know why she could POSSIBLY think this is a good idea. Very disgusting and embarrassing for her.”
Others chimed in to protect Rihanna as an abuse survivor. “The choice that @rihanna made is frustrating, but in protesting — please keep attention on Depp’s history of violence. There are no perfect victims, but Rihanna is still an abuse survivor, and I don’t want to invalidate that,” one person said.
The fourth installation of the Savage x Fenty show is set to premiere on Amazon Prime on November 9th.