Johnny Depp to make surprise appearance at 2022 MTV VMAs

Johnny Depp is set to make an unexpected appearance at an upcoming awards show just a few months after his controversial defamation trial.

Johnny Depp may be taking on a new role: Moonman.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star, 59, will reportedly be making a surprise appearance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards next weekend, according to TMZ.

The outlet reports that Depp has been in talks with the show’s production team to dress up as the network’s Moonman mascot.

He will also reportedly “show face” at some point during the broadcast, emceed by LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow, on August 28.

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It will be Depp’s first public appearance since he performed onstage with musician Jeff Beck after his trial. Picture: AFP

Page Six has reached out to MTV for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Although Depp isn’t up for any awards this year, he has taken home five Moonmen statues throughout his career, including awards for Best Male Performance, Best Villain, Global Superstar and the Generation Award in 2012.

The 2022 Global Icon Award will be presented to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, while Minaj, 39, is set to receive this year’s Vanguard Award.

The Super Bass rapper will perform at the ceremony, along with the likes of Lizzo, Blackpink, Måneskin, Anitta, J Balvin, Marshmello, Khalid and Panic! At The Disco.

In June, a jury found that Hard defamed Depp in her 2018 op-ed. Picture: AFP

Depp’s possible appearance would come just a few months after he won his highly publicised defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.

A Virginia jury found that Heard, 36, defamed Depp in a 2018 Washington Post opinion piece about sexual violence and ordered her to pay him $15 million.

Depp’s career has gradually bounced back. As Page Six previously reported, the actor will direct a film about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, and produce the movie alongside Al Pacino and Barry Navidi.

Depp also inked a multi-year, seven-figure deal earlier this month to continue appearing as the celebrity face of Dior’s best-selling Sauvage cologne, TMZ reported.

The 2022 MTV VMAs kick off Sunday, August 28 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Johnny Depp to make surprise appearance at 2022 MTV VMAs