Johnny Depp jokes about assassinating Donald Trump
Johnny Depp is back in the wrong kind of news again.
Speaking onstage Thursday at Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, Depp stepped into controversy with jokes aimed at President Trump that addressed presidential assassination.
“Can we bring Trump here?” Depp asked the crowd at the festival.
“I think he needs help,” Depp said, according to video posted online. “This is going to be in the press and it’ll be horrible. But I like that you’re all a part of it.
“When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?”
As the crowd roared, Depp thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “I want to clarify, I’m not an actor, I lie for a living,” he said.
The Associated Press reported that Depp then added it’s “been a while, and maybe it’s time.”
Actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated U.S. president Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Depp’s representative did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment about Depp’s jokes.
According to Britain’s The Guardian, Depp received a “rock star welcome” during the Glastonbury event at Cineramageddon, a drive-in cinema.
Depp introduced his 2004 film “The Libertine” along with director Julian Temple. But first he talked about Trump following questions from the audience of 1,500.
The actor has been in the headlines this year following his contentious divorce from exwife Amber Heard and a lawsuit with his former business managers. Depp sued the Management Group in January for more than $25 million, charging fraud and negligence.
The Management Group countersued, saying Depp spent lavishly on homes, private jets, art and up to $30,000 a month in wine, despite its warnings.
Last month, comedian Kathy Griffin prompted a national outcry when she posted a picture of herself holding a mock “decapitated” head of Donald Trump.