The 59-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor will make a surprise cameo at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards next weekend. Is this meant to launch Johnny Depp's music career once more?
Not really. But it does send the message that he's back for real on the industry - after long (and not necessarily finished) battle with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
According to TMZ, Depp has been in talks with the show's production team to don the Moonman mascot. He will also reportedly "show face" on the August 28 broadcast, which will be hosted by LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj, and Jack Harlow. MTV is yet to comment on the report's precision.
This year, Depp is not nominated for any awards, but he has won five Moonmen statues during his career, including Best Male Performance, Best Villain, Global Superstar, and the Generation Award in 2012.
Meanwhile, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will receive the 2022 Global Icon Award, while Minaj, 39, will receive the 2018 Vanguard Award.
The "Super Bass" rapper will perform with Lizzo, BLACKPINK, Mneskin, Anitta, J Balvin, Marshmello x Khalid, and Panic! at the Disco.
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The prospective attendance of Johnny Depp would occur just a few months after he won his widely publicized defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
A jury in Virginia determined that Heard, 36, defamed Depp in a 2018 Washington Post opinion piece about sexual abuse and sentenced her to pay him $15 million in damages. Depp's career has gradually regained momentum.
As previously revealed by Page Six, the actor will produce and direct a film on the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani alongside Al Pacino and Barry Navidi.
TMZ also stated that Depp signed a multi-year, seven-figure contract earlier this month to continue serving as the celebrity face of Dior's best-selling Sauvage fragrance. The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards will begin on Sunday, August 28 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
In contrast to the customary "host" gigs of previous years, such as in 2021, when Doja Cat hosted and took us to outer space with a live performance of "Been Like This" and "You Right" at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, this year's ceremony will take a novel approach.
Instead, this year's hip-hop group will be emceeing from a stage where they have extensive experience. Harlow is scheduled to make his first solo VMA performance on the main stage this year, following his memorable performance of "Industry Baby" with Lil Nas X at last year's ceremony.
This year, the rapper has the most nominations with seven (equal with LNX and Kendrick Lamar), including two of the most coveted categories of the evening, Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. He was nominated for the first time at the VMAs in 2020 for PUSH New Artist and Song of the Summer, where he also performed "Whats Poppin."
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