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The similarities are astounding
By Jonathan Alfano — Written on Apr 26, 2022
Johnny Depp’s peculiar friendship with singer Marilyn Manson has been brought back into the light as the actor continues his testimony in his defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Ben Rottenborn, Heard’s defense attorney, questioned Depp about his relationship with Manson on his third day of testimony on Thursday.
His reason for questioning was to prove that Depp’s drug addiction makes his recollection of events unreliable.
Depp admitted that he and Manson, who he called a “good friend,” have drunk and used drugs together on more than one occasion.
“We drank together… we’ve had cocaine together, maybe a couple of times,” Depp said. “I once gave Marilyn Manson a pill so that he would stop talking so much.”
Rottenborn also questioned Depp about the controversial texts he exchanged with Marvel actor Paul Bettany.
Are Johnny Depp and Marilyn Manson still friends?
It is unclear where the friendship between the stars lies now but Manson's name has been mentioned frequently in court in order to emphasize Depp's drug use.
The two allegedly abused substances together throughout Depp's marriage to Heard.
Johnny Depp and Marilyn Manson first became friends in 1987.
According to Jezebel, the two have been close friends since Manson made an appearance as an extra in the 1987 series 21 Jump Street, in which Depp starred.
The two have made many public appearances together since, with Manson attending many of Depp’s movie premieres and Depp playing guitar at Manson’s concerts.
They have also done some more unusual activities together.
The two have matching tattoos and Manson previously said that he traded Depp his prosthetic breasts from his Mechanical Beasts album in exchange for Depp’s wig from the movie Blow. They have also defecated and urinated on Depp’s Walk of Fame star, according to Showbiz CheatSheet.
Additionally, Manson is the godfather of Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose. Depp even once gifted Manson a house a week after Manson had bought a house himself.
Both Johnny Depp and Marilyn Manson have been accused of domestic violence.
The friendship between the stars had already been probed in opening statements in which Heard's legal team drew parallels to the accusations of abuse that Marilyn Manson has faced.
Depp’s ongoing legal battle with Heard stems from domestic abuse claims she made against him in 2016. He is suing her for defamation over an op-ed she wrote in 2018 in which she implied he had been abusive during their marriage.
Manson is also going through the legal process for sexual assault allegations. Manson was accused of sexual assault and abuse by his ex-girlfriend and actress Evan Rachel Wood when she shared an Instagram post in February 2021 calling him out by name.
“The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson,” Wood said. “He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission.”
Wood accused Manson of penetrating her when the two had agreed to a simulated sex scene for the music video of his song Heart-Shaped Glasses in 2007. He also accused him of getting her too drunk to consent.
“I was coerced into a commercial sex act under false pretenses,” Wood said to People. “That's when the first crime was committed against me. I was essentially raped on-camera.”
Wood has also come forward with accounts from other women who have accused Manson of abuse.
In response to the lawsuits, Manson countersued for defamation just as Depp did to Heard.
Some have even claimed that Manson is a bad influence on Depp, and that his relationship with the singer is to blame for his career’s downfall.
Jonathan Alfano is a writer who focuses on news and entertainment topics. He majors in journalism at the University of Central Florida with a minor in sports business. Follow him on Twitter.