Rihanna fans alarmed by rumour Johnny Depp will star in Savage X Fenty show

Fans of Rihanna have reacted with alarm to a report claiming that Johnny Depp will feature as a surprise guest at the musician’s forthcoming fashion show.

The Savage X Fenty Vol 4 show is described as a “fashion experience” and will include performances from Anitta and Burna Boy, plus cameos from models including Irina Shayk, Cara Delevingne, and Precious Lee.

It will premiere on Prime Video on 9 November.

A report by US outlet TMZ claims that Depp will be the focus of one of the show’s “star” moments. In the past, celebrities such as Cindy Crawford and Erykah Badu have appeared in this capacity; Depp would be the first man to do it.

According to TMZ, Depp was invited by Rihanna and her team to take part in the event, and has already filmed his role.

Earlier this year, Depp was embroiled in a high-profile legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard concernnig a 2018 piece published by The Washington Post. Depp’s legal team claimed that the op-ed, written by Heard, had defamed him by implying that he had abused Heard when the pair were married.

A jury ultimately found that Heard had defamed Depp, and ordered the Aquaman star to pay Depp $10m (£8m) in compensatory damages and $5m (£4m) in punitive damages.

However, the jury also awarded Heard $2m (£1.6m) in a simultaneous countersuit, ruling that, in characterising her abuse allegations as a “hoax”, one of Depp’s attorneys had defamed her.

Heard is set to appeal the verdict, with lawyers arguing that the two rulings handed down by the jury were contradictory.

A UK court previously ruled that The Sun had not defamed Depp by describing him as a “wife beater”. A judge described the statement as “substantially true”.

Fans of Rihanna have reacted with unease to the rumour of Depp’s involvement in the fashion show, sharing their thoughts on social media.

“Rihanna can’t be serious? With all these beautiful and unproblematic men in hollywood, and Johnny Depp is the one that appeals to you the most?” one person wrote.

“Still trying to figure out why Rihanna would chose to take this risk and featurr Johnny Depp in the Savage X Fenty Show. Like, she knowsssss that is going to cause a whole lotta outrage so why even bother?” wrote Daily Mail journalist Nola Ojomu.

“Adding Johnny Depp to the mix is just another example of how out of touch Rihanna actually is,” someone else commented.

The Independent has contacted representatives of Rihanna and Depp for comment.