Johnny Depp's 7-Minute Cannes Standing Ovation Slammed—'What a Waste'

Johnny Depp appeared teary eyed as he received a seven-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival for his latest acting performance.

Depp appears in the French language movie Jeanne du Barry as King Louis XV, in what is his first acting performance since last year's explosive court case with ex-wife Amber Heard.

With the details of that trial still fresh in some people's minds, social media has reacted to Depp receiving such adulation on one of the entertainment industry's most prestigious stages.

French celebrity Maïwenn wrote, directed and stars in Jeanne du Barry, which had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The film opened the festival and led to an incredibly long standing ovation for the filmmaker and actors after the credits rolled.

Videos of Depp receiving a standing ovation, and appearing emotional whilst doing so, started to appear on social media afterwards.

"What a waste of a standing ovation," verified Twitter user Mars wrote, while another verified user by the name of Jenny said: "What a waste of 7 minutes."

Depp was essentially making his return to the movie industry with his appearance, and according to Variety's Ramin Setoodeh, he was "met with a rapturous standing ovation as he" entered the room.

Across April and May 2022, the world watched on as details of Depp and Heard's marriage were made public, in a multi-million dollar defamation trial. Depp sued his ex-wife for a 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post which insinuated that Depp performed sexual violence and domestic abuse during their marriage. The jury sided with Depp, though they also deemed that Heard had been defamed in a smaller case. Both sides appealed the verdict, and in December 2022 both parties reached a settlement.

Setoodeh, who was in the room at Cannes as Jeanne du Barry played, shared another video showing Depp tearing up as he received a "seven-minute standing ovation."

"He deserved this after all he went through! This man is a legend, a wonderful, genius, and eclectic actor as well as a humble and elegant man," one fan wrote in response to the video. Messages of congratulations flooded Twitter as Depp's fans celebrated his return to movies.

"I love Johnny Depp. I hate what AH put him through, and am so happy to see him thriving," one fan wrote on Twitter. Another added: "I'm so very happy for him. What a long way he has come." Verified user and YouTuber Stephanie Sidley simply wrote: "Justice prevails."

Depp is seemingly a divisive figure now, and many others shared their fury online.

"White man privilege is real," wrote verified fan account RLorde. Another suggested that "this must be a joke."

New York Times journalist Kyle Buchanan weighed in with his own account, suggesting it wasn't a seven minute standing ovation for Depp. "The Jeanne du Barry standing O was 3 minutes. Then Maiwenn gave a speech and it ended. Not even half of 7," he said.