It looks like Rihanna has become the latest powerbroker to sign on to actor Johnny Depp’s reputational-rehabilitation-tour-post-defamation trial victory lap.
It’s no surprise that Depp would jump at the opportunity to be co-signed by one of the most chic, successful and beloved women on earth. But what’s in it for Rihanna?
It’s no surprise that Depp would jump at the opportunity to be co-signed by one of the most chic, successful and beloved women on earth. But what’s in it for Rihanna?
On Thursday, TMZ broke the news that Depp will be a “surprise” guest in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Vol. 4 fashion show, which is set to stream on Amazon Prime on Nov. 9. Depp’s appearance will reportedly be pre-taped, providing one of the show’s “star moments.” Depp is the first male to be given such an honor.
The vibe? “Cool and chic.”
Because nothing says “cool and chic” like an aging, grizzled movie star with a history of allegations of domestic abuse. (Depp has denied allegations of abuse; in his defamation suit against former wife Amber Heard a jury found Heard liable for three counts of defamation and Depp liable for one count of defamation.)
TMZ also reported that Rihanna and her team actively sought Depp’s participation in the Fenty show, and that “both sides were super excited to make it happen.”
As is wont to happen these days, this little morsel of news set off an immediate internet firestorm — especially because Rihanna is herself a survivor of domestic violence. (In 2009, her then-boyfriend, Chris Brown, was arrested after physically attacking her. He eventually pleaded guilty to felony assault.) Some people (aka Johnny Depp Stans) were elated by the news of Depp’s cameo, seeing Rihanna’s desire to work with the actor as confirmation of his innocence — as though Rihanna’s survivorhood inherently affirmed Depp’s. Others, predominantly Rihanna fans, expressed horror and confusion as to why the entrepreneur and artist would use her platform to boost Depp’s. The decision struck some as especially befuddling in light of the fact that she had previously cut ties with model Draya Michele for making a joke glamorizing domestic violence in 2020.
Rihanna’s choice to feature this particular dude at this particular moment is certainly head-scratching. Here’s a guy who texted his friends about the ways in which he would brutally murder his ex-wife, and what he would do to her “rotting corpse.” A guy who a U.K. court ruled could not challenge the court’s rejection of his lawsuit against a news publisher that labeled him a “wife beater.” This guy is the face of a size-inclusive women-centric lingerie brand? In the year of our lord 2022?
But Rihanna is a businesswoman; the billionaire mogul behind Savage X Fenty and Fenty Beauty. Nothing sways people’s values in a late-stage capitalist society quite like a big fat paycheck. And right now, Depp is an in-demand moneymaker, someone who the rich and famous have heartily embraced back into the fold. In a way Depp’s return to prominence as an anti-hero idol in this particular moment makes sense at a time when everything that was old and out is new and in again. After years trapped in isolated pandemic land, people are angrier, more cynical and more nihilistic. The post-9/11 “indie sleaze,” I-don’t-give-a-f— aesthetic is making a comeback, and with it, a greater desire to push back on any narrative that feels too easy. Depp is complicated, edgy, and occupies the liminal space between perpetrator and victim. He’s cultural catnip. Depp’s return to prominence as an anti-hero idol in this particular moment makes sense at a time when everything that was old and out is new and in again. At the end of the summer, Depp made a surprise appearance at the MTV Video Movie Awards, playing the channel’s mascot, the Moonman. He also was tapped to direct a biopic produced by Al Pacino, and the same month he signed a seven-figure, multiyear deal with Dior to continue as the face of its men’s fragrance, Sauvage. (According to WWD, the fragrance saw a “hearty increase in sales” after Depp won the defamation suit against Heard in June.) Even the costumes of Jack Sparrow, Depp’s character in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” got a financial boost. It’s possible Rihanna is just jumping on the bandwagon, hoping her gamble pays off. The only question that remains is whether Rihanna misjudged her audience. The outcry has been loud from at least a segment of her target demographic. A lot of women don’t want their sexy and affordable lingerie with a side of sleazy alleged abuser. I guess we’ll see if they continue to buy what Depp — and now, Rihanna — is now selling.
Emma Gray
Emma Gray, a freelance journalist focused on the intersection of gender, culture and politics, is the author of "A Girl's Guide to Joining the Resistance." She is a co-host of the podcast “Love to See It” and a co-author of the newsletter “Rich Text,” and she has spent the last 10 years as a senior reporter and editor at HuffPost. 
