Johnny Depp has thanked Rihanna for featuring him in her Savage X Fenty fashion show despite backlash.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor shared a promo clip of his appearance in the singer's Savage X Fenty Vol. 4 fashion show on Instagram and thanked the Umbrella hitmaker for featuring him.


"Thank you @badgalriri #SAVAGEFENTYSHOW Vol.4 Out Now @PRiMEvideo," he wrote in the caption.

Depp appears as a featured guest in the show, and during his sequence, he sports the lingerie brand's loungewear while walking through a misty forest to Outkast's So Fresh, So Clean.

The 59-year-old has become a controversial figure in recent years thanks to high-profile court cases relating to allegations of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Reports of his appearance were met with backlash on social media and have proved quite divisive. Paris Hilton showed her support by posting a fire emoji in the comments of his promo post, while Years & Years singer Olly Alexander, who has worked with Savage X Fenty in the past, told his fans he wouldn't wear the line anymore.

In June, a jury found Heard liable for defaming Depp in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed about domestic violence and he was awarded $10 million (£8.5 million) in damages. The Aquaman actress won one of her countersuit claims and was awarded $2 million. Heard is appealing the verdict and Depp is appealing the $2 million (£1.7 million) payout.

The fashion show isn't Depp's first public appearance since the ruling. In August, he was involved in the MTV Video Music Awards - his face was digitally superimposed into the helmet of a moonperson dangling above the stage. The camera cut to him around commercial breaks and he made jokes about his lack of work.


The Savage X Fenty Vol. 4 show is streaming on Prime Video now.