The White House on Friday called on actor Johnny Depp’s colleagues in Hollywood to condemn his comment that “maybe it’s time” someone assassinated President Donald Trump.
“President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and it’s sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead,” an unnamed White House official told Variety in a statement Friday. “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.”
During a speech Thursday night at the Glastonbury Festival, as the BBC first reported, Depp asked “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?”
“Now, I want to clarify, I’m not an actor. I lie for a living,” he said. “However, It’s been a while, and maybe it’s time.”
Depp joined a roiling debate over the relationship between depictions of violence and viable threats made against political figures. Actress and comedian Kathy Griffin faced an uproar over a photoshoot showing her holding a mock bloodied head made to look like Trump’s. She later apologized. And conservative provocateurs twice interrupted the Public Theater’s productions of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” blaming it for promoting violence against Republicans due to its portrayal of Caesar as Trump-like character.
OK. And I challenge all the people who voted for Trump and who work for Trump - including his family, Cabinet, advisers and aides - to condemn each and every one of Trump’s lies that he’s told since the beginning of the campaign. One lie at a time and then give the true fact. I realize that will take quite some time. I’ll wait.
Turnabout is fair play. I remember when the Obama White House demanded that the recording industry condemn Ted Nugent’s comments that were in a similar vein.
Oh, wait. That never happened.
I keep forgetting that fauxtrage only works in one direction.
Why? He was in Glastonbury, not Hollywood; he doesn’t live in the US anymore for the most part.
And sure - give him the publicity. He needs the money for his bitter divorce.
Again with the use of Democrat as an adjective? Grow up already.
Ugh… I’m torn between rolling my eyes at the idiotic false-equivalency of comparing comments of an actor versus the ludicrous statements of a President (to say nothing of comments directed at President Obama, and free speech in general); and being pissed off at people like Depp and Griffin for giving the GOP a new shiny distraction toy to splash all over FOX News and distract from the actual harmful bullshit going down in the Senate.
Hey, liberal celebs… maybe don’t say the stupid shit we all got pissed off at rednecks for shouting about the former President? And stop giving those same hillbilly fuckers a convenient excuse to feel vicitimized over, when we want them to watch their own party screwing them?