SNL Is In Hot Water Over Johnny Depp And Amber Heard Sketch
The Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial in which the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star sued his ex-wife for $50 million not only is dominating headlines, but proving to be divisive. Joe Rogan was among those that sided with Depp, and he bashed Heard while discussing the case on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. "I'm watching this trial, and, like, it's a cautionary tale about believing in bulls***," the wildly popular podcaster said. "You got rid of the best f***ing pirate you ever had! For a crazy lady!" he added.
Another prominent media figure, Howard Stern, took the opposite side of the case. The radio legend believed that Depp relished the attention the trial garnered. "On the narcissism scale, I think Johnny Depp is a huge narcissist," he said on "The Howard Stern Show" (via The Wrap). Stern believed the actor made a miscalculation by taking the stand. "But that's what narcissists do. 'I will charm the pants off of America at the trial.' No you won't!" he added.
The trial also led to plenty of online discourse, and a litany of viral TikTok videos that borrowed audio from Heard's testimony. That, in turn, led to backlash online from social media users who did not appreciate the content. "lmao all the depp/heard stuff is so triggering and it's EVERYWHERE, it's my entire fyp on tiktok and i want to claw my eyes out," one person tweeted. Viewers reacted with similarly heated responses when "Saturday Night Live" made a sketch about the trial.
Many viewers thought the sketch was in poor taste
"Saturday Night Live" satirized the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial during the cold open of its May 14 show. A fictional Depp was shown on the stand constantly smirking during questioning, and the judge mentioned several times how "this trial is for fun." In the sketch, surveillance footage was shown of Depp's property manager discovering fecal matter left in Depp's bed – which he alleged Heard left there. Eventually, several workers showed up in the bedroom and reacted to the mess, while the sketch cut back to the courtroom throughout with the judge repeatedly mentioning how the entire spectacle was for "fun."
After seeing the "SNL" sketch that made light of the Depp-Heard trial, several viewers took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with the show's indelicate handling of the case. "[R]egardless of your thoughts on amber/johnny, making an SNL skit out of an ongoing domestic violence trial is weird as h*** and does nothing to support victims of violence," one person tweeted. Many were surprised that the sketch made it through the screening process. "[T]he amount of people involved in snl and nobody thought 'hey maybe this should be off limits,'" a viewer wrote. Meanwhile, others believed the outrage was unnecessary. "[D]oesn't SNL do sketches of every famous trial/interview?" one tweeter asked. "Is it really that deep?"
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.