While the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star debunks the dating speculation via his spokesperson, the 20-year-old 'Wednesday' actress herself has addressed the rumor and branded it 'ridiculous.'
- Sep 4, 2023
AceShowbiz - Johnny Depp has been left "appalled" by recent rumors that linked him romantically to Jenna Ortega. Calling the baseless claim "malicious," he allegedly believes that it was "intended to harm his reputation and career."
Shutting down the dating rumor, a spokesperson for the 50-year-old actor said in a statement (via NME), "Mr. Depp has no personal or professional relationship with Ms. Ortega whatsoever. He has never met her or spoken to her."
"He is not involved in any project with her, nor does he intend to be," the rep further stressed, before adding, "He is appalled by these baseless and malicious rumours that are intended to harm his reputation and career."
The dating rumor first spread online after DeuxMoi published a claim that the two stars had been spotted on a date together. Although the celebrity gossip account maintained that it "does not claim information published is based in fact," fans of the two actors quickly picked up on the rumors.
This forced Jenna to speak out and debunk the rumor. Taking to her Instagram Story over the weekend, she wrote, "This is so ridiculous I can't even laugh." The 20-year-old continued to pen in the since-deleted post, "I have never met or worked with Johnny Depp in my life. Please stop spreading lies and leave us alone."
Earlier this year, Jenna declared that she's not ready for a relationship. When appearing on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast in May, she said about love and dating, "I almost don't even find myself interested."
"But a part of it is self-esteem... I'm not ready to be that vulnerable or trusting with someone," the "Wednesday" star went on elaborating. "If there's one thing I'm going to focus on -- which is probably something I need to change -- it's going to be my work."
As for Johnny, he was romantically linked to London-based attorney Joelle Rich in 2022. Joelle represented the Hollywood actor in his libel case against The Sun in 2020. However, they reportedly called it quits in October last year.
