Johnny Depp is set to feature in an upcoming Savage X Fenty fashion show and we have just one question — why?

They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but this whole situation disproves that entirely.

Rihanna’s lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, has long been lauded for being a pioneer of its industry, ensuring diversity and inclusivity since its very inception. Per its website, “the brand celebrates fearlessness, confidence and inclusivity.” So, you can image the resounding sense of disbelief felt by fans of both the brand and Rihanna herself when it was announced by TMZ that Johnny Depp will become the first man to have his own ‘star’ segment in a Savage X Fenty show.

According to the tabloid, Depp has already filmed his starring moment in the show, and both he and Rihanna are said to be ‘super excited’ about the collaboration, which is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday 9 November.

The fourth fashion show held by Savage X Fenty promises to be a “trailblazing event” that will “raise the bar yet again with a new all-star lineup of models, actors, some of the biggest names in music.” The show’s release goes on to say: “We want to make people look good and feel good.” How then, pray tell, does orchestrating Johnny Depp to appear in a prominent role align with this message?

If you are otherwise unaware, Johnny Depp’s highly publicised and essentially inescapable defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard culminated in a ruling in favour of Depp. Heard’s countersuit was successful on one count. Spanning seven tumultuous weeks, the Depp v Heard trial decision came after the court, jury, and half the online world — Law & Crime reported record-breaking viewing numbers, with over 330 million people tuning in live — heard unsettling details of the former couple’s relationship.

Violent and explicit text messages exchanged between Depp and his friends were read aloud, some of which contained “jokes” of wanting to burn and rape Heard’s corpse. Photos of bruises were shown, witnesses testified as to the nature of Depp’s explosive temper, and the actor’s unprofessional behaviour was largely documented throughout. The jury’s decision is valid and legally binding, but does that necessarily make Depp a person anyone — let alone someone as influential as Rihanna — would want to provide a platform for?

Having just made her very (very, very) long-awaited return to the realm of music with her single entitled ‘Life Me Up’ from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and confirming that she will be playing the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023, Rihanna fans were finally getting their time to shine. Naturally, this announcement has left them feeling extremely deflated.

this rihannaissance starting to feel like rihanmageddon

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— zoë (@zoe_alliyah) November 3, 2022

The first big name celebrity closely associated with Savage X Fenty to speak out on the news was Olly Alexander of Years and Years and It’s a Sin fame. Though Alexander had previously been part of a Savage X Fenty promotional campaign, he took to Twitter to express his frustration. When a fan responded that he wears the brand “so well”, he Tweeted that “after this news I won’t be wearing it anymore”.

Will Olly be the first of many high profile names to distance themselves from the brand?

Since starting out in May of 2018, Rihanna and the Savage X Fenty team have been cultivating a brand with real integrity behind it. They’ve been carving out a safe space for people to feel sexy in the skin they’re in, and have been leading the way in championing new faces, voices and perspectives. Why, then, have they chosen to tarnish what they’ve created in one fell swoop?