Ed Sheeran has faced a backlash after posing for a photo with actor and musician Johnny Depp backstage at Andre Bocelli’s concert series in Italy.
Sheeran, 33, along with Depp, 61, and Australian actor and musician Russell Crowe, 60, featured as special guests at the renowned Italian tenor’s three-day event in celebration of his 30th anniversary in music.
Crowe captured the moment by posting a picture online of him sharing a pint of Guinness backstage with Depp and Sheeran.
Uploading the image to X, formerly known as Twitter, the Gladiator star captioned the post: “Teatro del Silenzio backstage shenanigans with Teddy & Johnny. Lubrication by Guinness. Perfect. Grazie Millie Maestro Andrea Bocelli. What an incredible experience.”
Teatro del Silenzio backstage shenanigans with Teddy & Johnny.
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) July 18, 2024
Lubrication by Guinness.
Perfect.
Grazie Millie Maestro Andrea Bocelli. What an incredible experience. pic.twitter.com/plEbq1LMwj
The move was met by despair and outrage by other social media users, who made their thoughts clear in the replies.
“Oh, Ed Sheeran,” wrote one person alongside a GIF of Tyra Banks shouting. “I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you! How dare you!”
“Nooooooooooo omfg we lost one today kids. ed, how could you do this to me?????? [SIC]” wrote another.
While a third declared: “Ed sheeran is not a girl’s girl... Johnny Depp is a vile human being.”
Hollywood actor Depp has been criticised after the public unravelling of his marriage to former wife Amber Heard.
In 2020 he lost a UK libel case against The Sun newspaper, which branded him a “wife beater”. In 2022 a US jury found that Heard had libeled her ex-husband in an article on domestic abuse.
Since the trials, the Pirates of the Caribbean star has been working to repair his image and acting career.
Not everyone was so negative about the image however.
“Oh my goodness! So much love, so many legends, so much awesomeness in this epic picture!” wrote one person.
While another describe it as “such an epic photo”.
The Standard has contacted Sheeran and Depp’s representatives for comment.
