Dave Chappelle and Johnny Depp: A Look at Cancel Culture

When it comes to social movements such as cancel culture, it’s important to take a look at real-world examples of how these movements are affecting the community. The two cases I want to look at today are Dave Chappelle and Johnny Depp. Both of these men have been cancelled (or attempted), however, their stories vary wildly. Chappelle was cancelled for making insensitive remarks regarding the LGBTQ community. However, many debate whether or not what he said was worth being cancelled. In the case of Johnny Depp, the public was quick to cancel him when allegations of assault came out against him. Before any investigation was done Depp was kicked from two large movie franchises and blacklisted in Hollywood and online. Once the court case between Depp and Amer Heard began it became apparent that the public was in fact wrong about the whole situation and turned their aggression on Amber.

In both of these instances, the public was given the power to make judgements about these celebrities and influence their careers. In the case of Chappelle, his statements were heard by the masses and it was up for debate as to whether or not his content was a commentary meant to bring light to an alternate point of view of the queer community or offensive rhetoric. Chappelle has continued to release content after this event and let the public decide if they want to watch or not. In this instance, a “full cancellation” has not been done. I would say that it is in large part due to the nature of what he said. His statement was not blatantly malicious and was not a call to action against any group in particular. Instead, this is an example of controversial commentary finding its space in our media. It’s not gone, however, it’s now tainted by past allegations. Personally, I think the way “nature” ran its course and brought light to his statements and allowed people to make personal decisions as to whether or not they’d continue supporting him was the best. Instead of kicking him off of platforms and discrediting all his work people are now more informed about who they’re listening to.

In the case of Johnny Depp, there’s a lot to be said about the way the public is able to influence the lives of people in the public eye. Depp was quickly cancelled after domestic abuse allegations were levied against him. Companies such as Warner Brothers and Disney removed him from their films. This was not an insignificant choice considering he was playing a main character in both films. (notably Pirates of the Caribbean where he is the man responsible for bringing the series to life). These companies were prompted to remove him because of the public backlash they were facing, even though there was no case yet at this time and no legal investigation had been done. This shows the power that consumers have over the brands they use. These large companies were willing to completely change their cast in order to appease their audience, even to the detriment of the actors that have made them so much money.

When the court case between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp began it was a circus. Incredible accusations were stated from both parties and it soon became evident that Depp was actually falsely accused. In fact, he was the victim in the scenario. Just as quickly as he was cancelled, Depp was uncancelled and showered with praise during the hearings. While Heard was destroyed online. This quick switch of public opinion shows how emotionally charged the decision-making of the public can be and how quick they are to act without knowing all of the information.

References

The Objective, et al. “A More Specific Letter on Justice and Open Debate.” The Objective, 10 July 2020, https://objectivejournalism.org/2020/07/a-more-specific-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/.