Johnny Depp and Amber Heard joke in Ryan Gosling’s “The Fall Guy” upsets some critics and fans

Some social media users think joking about Heard and Depp is disrespectful to the topic of domestic violence.

Just two weeks before its May 2nd release, Ryan Gosling's new action-comedy, “The Fall Guy” is facing criticism in early screenings, with some viewers objecting to a reference made about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

The action-comedy, which also stars Emily Blunt and boasts a high-profile cast, features a scene where Hannah Waddingham's character walks into a trashed trailer and remarks, “It's like Amber and Johnny were just in here.”

Some social media users and critics slammed the line calling it "unpleasant" and disrespectful to a sensitive topic like domestic violence.

One journalist wrote on X, “The Fall Guy was just kind of cringe and smug until the weird j*hnny and a*ber joke, then it was unpleasant. 2024 and we're putting [domestic violence] jokes into our action comedies I guess!”

Courtesy: @thethirdhan on X

In response, another viewer stated, “God that took me out of the movie so badly when I watched it, there was truly no reason whatsoever to say it. Embarrassing for everyone involved.”

Courtesy: @anapau_villa on X

Some Amber Heard fans have even expressed intentions to “boycott” the film.

Courtesy: @heardsstan on X

Courtesy: @ScarlettSavage6 on X

Depp and Heard were married for two years, between 2015 and 2017, and have been embroiled in a series of high-profile court cases. 

In 2020, Depp lost a libel lawsuit against The Sun – a British tabloid that called him a "wife-beater." In 2022, Depp successfully sued Heard for defamation over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post alluding to abuse.