Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty shows are notoriously star studded. From Gigi Hadid to Vanessa Hudgens, Daddy Yaknee, Ricky Martin and Irina Shay, the great and the good from the music and modelling worlds annually grace the catwalk for the singer’s lingerie fashion show.
But fans were seriously alarmed to see Johnny Depp become the first man to have his own ‘star’ segment in Rihanna’s fourth fashion show, which is streaming on Amazon Prime. In the clip, Depp walks through a dark forest dressed in Savage X Fenty olive green pyjamas soundtracked by Outkast's song So Fresh, So Clean.
'I am interested to know how much Rihanna paid Johnny Depp to shamble from one tree to a second tree a short distance away,' one Twitter user wondered. 'Go girl, give us NOTHING,' added another.
According to the show's press release, Savage X Fenty Vol 4 aimed to raise 'the bar yet again with a new all-star line-up of models, actors, some of the biggest names in music...We want to make people look good and feel good,' it said. But many fans have pointed out that, due to the allegations made about Depp by his ex-wife Amber Heard, he definitely doesn’t align with the 'sexy' and 'fun' message of the Fenty show for them.
‘Gross! Rihanna entering her Fenty Flop era?’ questioned one user on Twitter. ‘This was… a choice,’ added another. ‘Still trying to figure out why Rihanna would choose to take this risk and feature Johnny Depp…Like, she knows that is going to cause a whole lotta outrage so why even both,’ mulled over a third.
Some Depp fans and celebrities seemingly publicly removed their support for Johnny Depp after his high-profile libel lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard took place in May, which he won. And yet the Savage X Fenty show isn’t the first surprising gig that Depp has reportedly been handed since the trial.
In August, Depp caused outrage in some quarters when he was seen performing with Jeff Beck at venues across the UK, including the Royal Albert Hall. Weeks later, he floated onto the stage at MTV’s Video Music Awards in a spaceman suit and declared he ‘needed the work’.
Evidently, the plea worked because soon it was announced Depp would star as King Louis XV in the new French film Jeanne Du Barry. Weeks afterwards, it was also revealed the actor would direct his first feature film in 25 years, called Modi, about the Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani.
‘I just want you guys to know that I’m available for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, weddings, wakes…any/all things you need,’ Depp told the world as he floated across the stage at the VMAs. Clearly, Rihanna heard his call and answered. But lots of her fans wish she hadn’t.
The Savage X Fenty Vol 4 show is available to stream on Prime Video