Johnny Depp has apologized for asking “when was the last time an actor assassinated a president?” at an arts festival on Thursday, saying he “intended no malice.”
“I apologize for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump,” he said in a statement to People. “It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone.”
During an appearance Thursday at the annual Glastonbury music and arts festival in England, Depp said, “I think [Donald] Trump needs help. There are a lot of dark places he could go. I’m not insinuating anything — by the way this will be in the press and it will be horrible — but when was the last time an actor assassinated a president?”
This elicited loud cheers from the crowd, to which Depp said, “Don’t worry, I’m not an actor, I lie for a living.”
Fans have threatened to boycott his movies following his comments, while others have asked for the Secret Service to investigate the actor.
On Friday, the White House released a statement regarding the comments.
“President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and it’s sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead,” a White House official said Friday, according to major news outlets like NBC and ABC. “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.”
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Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, told The Washington Post that “the joke is no laughing matter. These things are real.” According to the publication, Conway called Depp a “nut job” and said his statement was “not a slip of the tongue” but rather an attempt to spread “vile” ideas that could “easily influence lunatics who wish to bring harm.”
A representative for Depp has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.