Warning: Discussion of abuse.
Will Smith was photographed smiling away on a yacht with Johnny Depp, and, quite frankly, I’ve had it.
Apparently, the two were hanging out, as they are both “special guests” at Andrea Bocelli’s 30th Anniversary Concert in Tuscany. Which, sure. Sure! Johnny Depp is one of the only people who can play guitar, after all!
It’s not the first time Smith and Depp have hung out in recent years — they were photographed embracing last year in Saudi Arabia.
Almost a whole year after 2022’s Depp V. Heard brought about the worst campaign of online misogyny and misinformation I’ve ever seen.
I was there, I remember it! I remember how a man who lost a libel case against the Sun calling him a “wife beater,” during which a judge found that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence against Heard had occurred, was able to (successfully!) argue that an article where she simply referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” was defamatory.
I firmly believe Heard will find her place in groveling, “we-were-so-wrong” media reexaminations in future years, but I don’t care to wait that long. Even though I know it is entirely likely that my inbox will be filled with unhinged content from the moment this is published.
I don’t care! It shouldn’t be a hot take to say, “Hey man, maybe stop normalizing hanging out with people who text, ‘‘I will fuck her her (sic) burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead,’ and ‘I’ll smack the ugly cunt around before I let her in.’” Believe me, I’ve cut out plenty of men in my own personal life, and somehow I still live.
Shortly after the trial concluded, I spoke to a counselor about why a public comeback of Depp would be hurtful to survivors. “It reinforces this idea that abusers are not held accountable, that nobody will believe [survivors] and they shouldn’t speak up,” she told me. “It’s another slap in the face.”
“Especially for survivors of color, who are further marginalized because of their intersecting identities,” she continued. “It reinforces what the abuser is saying: ‘Do you see what happened to a rich person? Nobody’s going to believe you.’ So they tend to stay.”
Dave Benett / WireImage
Honestly, this opinion piece barely even goes out to Smith, or Bocelli for that matter. They are the mere tips of the iceberg of a culture that normalizes men accused of serious abuse. Hey, look at St. Vincent posing with Depp last month! Hey, look at Depp being the face of Dior’s Sauvage! While we’re at it, hey, look at who’s running for president!
I just refuse to sit here and act like it isn’t absolutely freakish behavior.
f you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 (HOPE), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.
Source Agencies
