Emily Hampshire apologises for controversial Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Halloween costume

Emily Hampshire, best known for her role in Schitt's Creek, has issued an apology after facing criticism for her Halloween costume. The controversy arose when Hampshire and a friend dressed up as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, replicating characters from a high-profile and tumultuous chapter in their lives.

In her Instagram statement, Hampshire admitted that her choice of costume was "thoughtless, insensitive, and ignorant." She expressed deep remorse for her actions and acknowledged that domestic abuse is a serious issue that should never be trivialised or made light of. Hampshire assured her followers that she would strive to do better in the future and concluded with a sincere apology.

The now-deleted photos of Hampshire in her Johnny Depp-inspired costume and her friend as Amber Heard sparked outrage on social media. Fans and critics criticised her for seemingly mocking Amber Heard, who has been a central figure in the highly publicised legal battle with Johnny Depp.

The legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard unfolded between April and June 2022. It began when Johnny Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard after she published an op-ed in The Washington Post, in which she identified herself as a domestic abuse survivor. Although she did not explicitly mention Depp's name in the piece, the timing of its publication coincided with their tumultuous divorce proceedings in 2016.

A Virginia jury ultimately awarded Johnny Depp $15 million in damages, with $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. However, the punitive damages were later reduced to Virginia's statutory cap of $350,000. The legal drama was transformed into a three-part docuseries on Netflix.