Johnny Depp Has Joined TikTok, Naturally

We will be hearing about Johnny Depp for the rest of this Republic’s days—and maybe a few more. The disgraced-yet-legally-vindicated actor joined TikTok on Tuesday.

Since TikTok is what turned the tsunami of public opinion in favor of Depp, it’s natural that Depp’s team sees the platform as a next step in the actor’s comeback. On TikTok, #JohnnyDepp saw 33.5 billion views, while #JusticeforJohnnyDepp had 20.2 billion view, according to the New York Post. Meet the fans where they are, I guess!

This is Depp’s first move of his “new chapter” since a Virginia jury ruled in his favor last week. The court found that his ex-wife Amber Heard defamed Depp with certain lines of her 2018 Washington Post op-ed about domestic abuse. After two and a half days of deliberation, the jury found Heard wrote false statements against the actor, she did so to damage his reputation and career, and it was done with malice. Heard was ordered to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The punitive damages were immediately lowered to $350,000 by the judge due to a law that caps damages in the commonwealth. Heard’s lawyer said appeal plans are in the works.

(Depp is responsible for $2 million in compensatory damages to Heard because the jury found Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, defamed the actress when he called her allegations a “hoax.”)

After the jury verdict was read, Depp released a statement on Instagram. In his barely readable typewriter font, Depp praised the jury’s work for giving his “life back” to him. It looks like his life will now include TikTok. Maybe he’ll learn a dance or two, or take the O.J. Simpson approach of posting cringey videos that remind us of past accusations against him. Posing with cleaning products is the modern-day version of writing “If I Did It”, no?

Best of luck to whichever member of Depp’s team is responsible for this account. TikTok may love Depp now, but it’s a fickle place.