Depp springs a surpise with 'Moon Person' appearance at MTV VMAs 2022

Los Angeles, Aug 29

Hollywood star Johnny Depp, who has had quite an eventful year with his legal battle against ex-wife Amber Heard, made an appearance at this year's MTV VMAs as the Moon Person, popping in for a few one-liners as the awards show returned from commercial breaks, reports Variety.

Though Depp was not at the VMAs in his physical form, his face appeared digitally in the helmet of a Moon Person floating above the stage.

"And you know what? I needed the work," Depp said, quoted by Variety, at the beginning of the show. "Hey VMAs, let's get back to the f****** music, shall we?" he said in another appearance after a commercial break, though his f-bomb was bleeped out for the broadcast.

And in a pre-taped clip posted to his Instagram, Depp said: "I just want you guys to know that I'm available for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes, any old thing you need."

According to Variety, although Depp wasn't nominated for any awards this year, he has taken home five Moon People in the past -- including awards for best male performance, best villain, global superstar and the generation award.

Depp's appearance comes just a few months after his controversial and highly publicised defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.

The jury found that Heard had defamed Depp in her 2018 'Washington Post' opinion piece, which alluded to being a victim of domestic violence. However, the jury also found that Depp defamed Heard, through his attorney, while fighting back against her charges.

Since the June verdict, Depp has been attempting to restart his career in both film and music. In July, after joining Jeff Beck for multiple live performances, Depp and Beck released their joint 13-track album entitled '18'.