Johnny Depp issues warning to fans after social media fandom grows

Actor was forced to clarify his online presence

Johnny Depp is issuing a warning to his fans over his social media presence.

The actor, who recently won a defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, shared a statement to his Instagram Stories on Sunday (19 June).

Depp was addressing the rise in fake profiles pretending to be him, capitalising on the public interest in the actor following the trial.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star amassed 10 million followers within 24 hours of posting his first TikTok video. Before that, he reached more than three million followers without sharing a single video. As of writing, he has 15.1 million followers on TikTok, and 25.9 million followers on Instagram.

“I’ve been made aware that there are fake accounts pretending to be me or people working with me,” he wrote.

“I do not have any private or side accounts on any platforms. These are the only pages run by me and my team where we share updates and communicate: Instagram @JohnnyDepp TikTok @JohnnyDepp Facebook @JohnnyDepp Discord @JohnnyDepp0854.”

He urged his fans to “remain cautious as it seems these fake accounts can be relentless”. “My team is working to combat the problem,” Depp wrote. “Thank you for your continued support and for making me aware of this issue! Love & respect, JD xx.”

Johnny Depp issued a social media warning to his fans on Instagram (Instagram)

Earlier this month, a jury found that Heard had defamed Depp on all three counts and awarded him $10m (£8m) in compensatory damages and $5m (£4m) in punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2m (£1.6m) in compensatory damages, but no punitive damages.

Heard’s attorney recently appeared on morning talk shows to say that her client would be unable to pay the $8.35m (£6.65m) in damages to Depp.