Jenna Ortega Recoils At Johnny Depp Dating Rumors

It was a rumor that seemed wild, but just probable enough that it almost immediately caught fire: Actress Jenna Ortega and actor Johnny Depp were spotted on an alleged date, social media gossip site Deux Moi—which famously announces “this account does not claim information published is based in fact”—reported. But Ortega’s response to the claim was fast and furious, debunking not just the romantic gossip, but suggestions that the two were engaged in a professional collaboration.

Speaking with Vanity Fair in 2021, the anonymous person behind the Deux Moi Instagram account, which as of this writing boasts over two million followers, says that her publication “is just about sharing stories,” gossip items that are ostensibly submitted by those in the know. “The fact that there has been information that has been newsworthy, or current, is just by chance.”

Chance appeared to smile on Deux Moi last week, when the claim of the newsworthy pair-that-apparently-isn’t first appeared via a since expired Instagram story. The 20-year-old Ortega was in the midst of her second collaboration with director Tim Burton just prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike; following up their successful work on Netflix series Wednesday with a sequel to Burton’s 1988 hit, Beetlejuice.

Meanwhile, fellow Burton favorite Johnny Depp, who turned 60 in June, has also made a recent splash on Netflix. But in his case, it was with Depp v. Heard, a docuseries on the ugly social media discourse around his libel suit and countersuit against Amber Heard, who was briefly his wife. The series, which was released in the U.S. on August 16, briefly reignited the online debate about the abuse claims made by Depp and Heard in recent years, director Emma Cooper told Vanity Fair, with Depp’s passionate fanbase reviving their campaign against Heard—and even focusing their wrath on Cooper, in some cases.

Perhaps realizing the social media danger faced by anyone believed to be in Depp’s orbit, Ortega was swift to deny the claims made on Deux Moi. Also via a no-longer-visible Instagram story, Ortega wrote of the rumor,“This is so ridiculous I can’t even laugh.”

“I have never met or worked with Johnny Depp in my life,” the Daily Mail notes Ortega as saying. “Please stop spreading lies and leave us alone.”