Johnny Depp apologizes for 'bad joke' about Trump

ByKATHERINE FAULDERS ABCNews logo
Friday, June 23, 2017

Johnny Depp has apologized after making controversial comments about President Donald Trump, which caused the White House to issue a statement condemning him.

"I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump," the actor's rep told ABC News Friday afternoon. "It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone."

Depp came under fire for bringing up Trump on Thursday evening. While introducing his new film, "The Libertine," at England's Glastonbury Festival, he told the crowd that Trump "needs help."

"When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?" he continued. "I want to clarify: I'm not an actor. I lie for a living, however, it's been a while. Maybe it's about time."

In a statement, hours later, the White House said, "President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and it's sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead," the White House statement read. "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."

Depp did not say whether he was referring to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by actor John Wilkes Booth in 1865.

In addition to the White House, the Secret Service issued its own statement.

"We actively monitor open source reporting, including social media networks, and we evaluate potential threats. For security reasons, we cannot discuss specifically nor in general terms the means and methods of how we perform our protective responsibilities," the Secret Service told ABC News.

Depp isn't the first public figure to come under fire for making questionable statements about Trump. Last month, comedian Kathy Griffin was featured in a video holding a decapitated likeness of Trump's head. Griffin later apologized but said she remains under investigation from the Secret Service.

Brandon Bodow and Joi-Marie McKenzie contributed to this report.

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