Did The Fall Guy Go Too Far? Joke About Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Trial Stirs Controversy

Previous controversies surrounding jokes referencing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard include instances in the TV series Gen V and the animated series Animaniacs.

- April 25, 2024 | 4:08 PM IST

Backlash Brews as "The Fall Guy" Cracks Joke About Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's Relationship — Backlash Brews as “The Fall Guy” Cracks Joke About Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s Relationship ( Photo Credit – Instagram; IMDb )

Folks in the press and those sharp-eyed critics who got a sneak peek at Ryan Gosling’s latest flick, The Fall Guy, are stirring up some talk about a joke in there that touches on Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. The action-comedy packs in Gosling with Emily Blunt, Teresa Palmer, Hannah Wadingham, Winston Duke, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Ready to hit screens on May 3, 2024, The Fall Guy spins the tale of Colt Seavers, Gosling’s character, a stuntman hustling to track down the lead actor who’s gone AWOL from the blockbuster Ryan Gosling is working on.

So, picture this: Hannah Waddingham’s character struts into a trashed trailer after a brawl, and she drops this line: “It’s like Amber and Johnny were just in here,” hinting at the tumultuous relationship between the actors, who tied the knot from 2015 to 2017. That forms the basis of this entire controversy.

Critics and journalists got riled up over the scene, feeling it belittled a serious matter. Many folks reckon the Depp-Heard ordeal is too intricate and touchy to be turned into a joke. Social media is buzzing with critics, journalists, and activists airing their disappointment about the film’s comedic take on the issue.

2024 and we're putting dv jokes into our action comedies i guess!

— hannah strong (@thethirdhan) April 22, 2024

the fall guy: was just kind of cringe and smug until the weird j*hnny and a*ber joke, then it was unpleasant

— hannah strong (@thethirdhan) April 22, 2024

Knew The Fall Guy was going to be a shite film from the trailer but now I have confirmation it is in fact complete shite. pic.twitter.com/ZJvqW6w3pt

— brooke ✨ (@jcdbrooke) April 23, 2024

so the fall guys (starring ryan gosling and emily blunt) has a joke where they make fun of the abuse amber heard suffered while she dated johnny depp. boycott this flop movie pic.twitter.com/bQanYwyO5A

— amber heard archive  ✡︎ (@heardsstan) April 23, 2024

Previous controversies surrounding jokes referencing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard include instances in the TV series Gen V and the animated series Animaniacs. The Fall Guy is the latest addition to this trend, drawing criticism for similar jokes.