Fans can be deeply forgiving, willing to look past their favourite star’s terrible drug addiction, ugly custody battle or ignorant remarks. But accusations of domestic violence often leave a lasting impression on a celebrity’s image. Chris Brown may be winning Grammys, but nobody’s forgotten what happened with Rihanna.
Globally beloved Johnny Depp will continue to be popular and make millions as a movie star, despite his wife’s allegations that he was physically abusive throughout their relationship. But he’ll have a permanent edge now that no camera lens can soften.
“Johnny Depp was very well-liked by women and I think these accusations are going to stain him,” said long-time Hollywood publicist Michael Levine. “It’s very hard [to overcome], even if the woman recants.”
As with Brown, Mel Gibson, and football star Ray Rice, allegations of domestic violence have staying power, particularly when there’s physical evidence. Heard said Depp was drunk and high when he allegedly assaulted her last week and on other occasions.
In the court of public opinion, alcoholism and drug addiction are much easier to forgive than domestic violence, Levine said, anticipating Depp will soon make an image-saving trip to rehab.
“That’s what most people do,” Levine said. “That’s the general defence line. If he just tries to ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen, I think he’s going to pay a price in both the short and long term.”
Here are some of the high-profile domestic violence cases involving celebrities:
Chris Brown and Rihanna
On February 8, 2009, the night of the Grammy Awards Brown and his then-girlfriend Rihanna had an argument which escalated into physical violence, requiring Rihanna to be hospitalised. Brown turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department’s station and was booked. His scheduled performance at the Grammys was cancelled. Following his arrest, Brown released a statement saying, “Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired.” But the damage was done and he ended losing a number of endorsements and few music stations refused to play his music.
Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva
On June 21, 2010, Oksana Grigorieva, a Russian pianist, filed a restraining order against Mel Gibson to keep him away from their child. A domestic violence investigation was immediately launched. In July that same year, some audio recordings of a man believed to be Gibson leaked on the internet showing patterns of racism, sexism and anti-Semitism. Gibson was dropped by his agency immediately amidst calls for his movies to be banned.
Ray Rice and Janay Palmer
American football player Ray Rice and his then fiance Janay Palmer were arrested on February 15, 2014 and charged with assault after a physical altercation. But soon after, TMZ leaked a video showing Rice knocking Palmer out in an elevator and then dragging her out. The Baltiomore Ravens, who Rice played for, issued a statement following the video and called it a ‘serious matter’ and terminated his employement. Rice sued the Ravens and the case was settled out of court. The NFL has since changed its policy on how it handles domestic violence cases.
