Doing what they do best. Saturday Night Live is known for its uncanny celebrity impersonations and takes on trending news stories — and Johnny Depp’s ongoing defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard is no exception, serving as fodder for the latest cold open.
The Saturday, May 14, episode — hosted by Selena Gomez — kicked off with an MSNBC-inspired sketch of coverage from the exes’ “cuckoo” trial, poop jokes and all.
“I felt very, very sad,” Kyle Mooney’s version of the 58-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean actor said in the cold open skit after Aidy Bryant’s role of his lawyer asked about the claims that the 36-year-old actress left fecal matter in his bed.
After the Aquaman star’s attorney (Heidi Gardner) and the judge (Cecily Strong) questioned the inclusion of such testimony, it was noted that Bryant had acquired security footage of the alleged incident.
“I’ll allow it because it does sound fun and this trial is for fun,” the Schmigadoon alum, 38, said in the Saturday skit before courtroom participants watched Mooney-as-Depp’s property manager (Kenan Thompson) discover the poop on the bed, which looked “just like the emoji” version.
“Damn, it smells like boo-boo in here,” the All That alum, 44, quipped. “It’s coming from this bed! Oh, hell no, that’s a boo-boo!”
While Gardner’s attorney attempted to squash the footage’s inclusion in the trial, Strong noted that she wanted to see more since it was “funny” and that they “want” to watch it.
“I think I’ve seen enough. This trial has given me a lot to consider,” Strong concluded the cold open. “On one hand, I believe Mr. Depp’s story, but on the other hand, your constant little smirk lets me know this is not the first woman you’ve made so mad that she pooped in your bed. … Either way, I’m just so glad this ain’t me!”
The Kentucky native is suing his The Rum Diary costar — whom he was married to between 2015 and 2017 — for defamation in response to a 2018 opinion article she penned for the Washington Post, revealing she was a survivor of domestic abuse. (Heard did not name Depp in the editorial.)
During Depp’s testimony last month, he alleged that he was “shown a picture” of human fecal matter left on his side of the bed, presumably left by Heard following a 2016 argument.
The Texas native, for her part, has not addressed whether she left or placed her waste on their shared bed, but a witness claimed it was meant as a practical joke.
Depp’s longtime executive chauffeur and security guard Starling Jenkins II testified on April 28, noting that he heard the Never Back Down actress say she left a “surprise” in Depp’s bed while Jenkins drove her to Coachella.
Depp and Heard’s trial is set to resume on Monday, May 16, after a 10-day recess.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET.
For more, watch the cold open clip above!
