Johnny Depp Fans Furious Over ‘Animaniacs’ Jab Branding Him as a Liar

Johnny Depp fans have a new target for their outrage on the actor’s behalf: The Animaniacs. The cartoon reboot premiered on Hulu this weekend, and Depp’s fans were incensed to find that it contained a joke calling Depp a “liar.” In the wake of Depp’s dismissal from the Fantastic Beasts franchise and his ongoing legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, his fans are trying to spark a boycott of the new Animaniacs show.

The Depp joke was quick, subtle and easy to miss in one of the 13 new episodes of The Animaniacs. It was contained in a movie poster seen over Yakko’s shoulder, which showed an exaggerated cartoon version of Depp scowling with a pair of scissors in his hand. The title read: “Johnny 2: Telling Lies,” indicating to some fans that the show was calling Depp himself a liar. This did not sit right with them, especially since Animaniacs comes from Warner Bros., which is the studio that just asked Depp to resign from Fantastic Beasts 3.

Depp resigned by choice and said that he understood the casting decision, though fans were still outraged on his behalf. Many have been looking for ways to express their outrage to Warner Bros., and since The Animaniacs leans so heavily into its association with the studio, this seemed like a good place for a boycott to some.

However, chances are that the Animaniacs Easter egg was not related to the Fantastic Beasts decision. As the Warner siblings themselves tell you in the opening episode, their reboot was written in 2018, so Depp’s case was at a very different point back then. That did not stop Depp’s die-hard fans from coming out in full force this week. Here is a look at what they had to say.

Timing

In the Animaniacs‘ fast-paced style, many fans missed the fact that this Depp reference was also a send-up of an obscure meme from 2018, based on a low-budget animated children’s show. Since this reference was out of date, fans argued that this was one more reason to remove the joke from the show.

Removed

Some fans argued that Animaniacs should have removed the joke about Depp before the big premiere, in light of recent events. They still aimed their ire at the studio itself, believing that executives had a hand in this decision.

Out of Context

Some thought that the Depp joke was shoe-horned into the song it was in, and did not really match the tone of the episode overall. They believed that Warner Bros. had gone to extreme lengths to insert a joke at Depp’s expense here.

Abstaining

As the creative team behind the Animaniacs reboot tweeted about their work this weekend, many commenters informed them that they would not be watching specifically because of the Depp joke.

Still Watching

Some fans admitted that they were watching the Animaniacs reboot anyway, in spite of its dig at Johnny Depp. A few in this camp even said that once they saw it, the joke was not as harsh as they expected.

Keeping Track

With all the outrage circulating online these days, some fans were confused when they first saw “Boycott Warner Brothers” trending. Some thought it might be in relation to another production, such as the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League coming soon.

Opposite Petitions

Fearing the impact of the boycott, some Animaniacs fans tried to get their own opposing hashtag trending, “Save Animaniacs. However, The Animaniacs was already given a two-season order, so more episodes are on the way regardless, unless Hulu decides to void that contract.