Rihanna's annual Savage X Fenty show, once the sexiest event of the year, has devolved into a very un-sexy show of support for Johnny Depp, the man who ranted about burning and raping Amber Heard's corpse.
Last week, a report surfaced that the Bad Gal signed on to Depp's image rehabilitation tour, personally inviting the disgraced actor to appear in her upcoming Savage X Fenty show. While fans (including all of us at Highsnobiety) held on to hope that Rih would issue a statement condemning the report as erroneous, the show's premiere confirmed: Depp, who best resembles a withered, eyeliner-wearing corpse, indeed appeared alongside Savage X Fenty's crew of extremely beautiful people, including Simu Liu, Irina Shayk, and Precious Lee.
With one fell swoop, Rihanna forfeited her title as pop culture's reigning "unproblematic fave." It's a dark day for the Navy.
Unsurprisingly, the star is facing backlash from fans who are upset by the star's decision to platform an abuser — lest we forget that 12 of Heard's 14 abuse allegations were proven to be "substantially true" by the British courts.
Was there really no one else Rihanna could have chosen for the show's "star" segment? How did Savage X Fenty, a brand built on inclusivity and empowerment, conclude that a man who described his ex-wife as a "Mushy pointless dangling overused floppy fish market" best embodied its ethos?
At the time of publishing, neither Rihanna, Savage X Fenty, nor Amazon — the show's exclusive streaming partner — have released a statement on the controversial casting choice. None of the celebrities who appeared in the show with Depp have addressed the elephant in the room, either.
While it remains to be seen whether Savage X Fenty can salvage its image following the disaster that is Depp attempting to smize in a silk kimono, things don't look promising. In addition to questioning Rihanna's decision to align herself with Depp, fans are also taking the opportunity to voice criticism of the brand's quality, design, and sustainability.
Sorry, Rihanna. You dug yourself into this hole.
