Dating rumors are nothing new in Hollywood, and celebrities who are targets of sensationalism usually ignore the gossip. But not Jenna Ortega. Recently, the 20-year-old Wednesday star vehemently denied rumors that she was dating 60-year-old Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd).
“This is so ridiculous I can’t even laugh,” Ortega wrote in a now-expired Instagram story, according to NME. “I have never met or worked with Johnny Depp in my life. Please stop spreading lies and leave us alone.”
Even Depp, according to NME, offered up a statement through his spokespeople after the gossip spread online like wildfire. “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. He is appalled by these baseless and malicious rumors that are intended to harm his reputation and career.”
The dating rumors gained traction after social media gossip site Deux Moi, which boasts two million Instagram followers and refers to itself as the “curators of pop culture,” posted about it. The account also divulges to its fans that it “does not claim information published is based in fact.”
According to an interview by Vanity Fair in 2021, the unnamed purveyor of Deux Moi news said the site “is just about sharing stories” that are sent in by insiders.
Bottomline: The only link between Ortega and Depp is that both are favorites of director Tim Burton. Ortega was in the middle of filming Burton’s Beetlejuice sequel before the SAG-AFTRA strike stopped production. In the film, she plays the daughter of Lydia Deetz, Winona Ryder’s character in the original 1988 dark comedy. Depp dated Ryder from 1989 to 1993. They starred together in Burton’s 1990 film Edward Scissorhands, 12 years before Ortega was even born.
And the internet seems to agree that the rumors are “ridiculous.”
With many addressing Deux Moi themselves for sparking the rumor.