Johnny Depp daughter: who is Lily-Rose Depp - relationship with dad explained, TV and movie credits

Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp, is facing controversy over the release of her new TV show ‘The Idol’, which hits screens this weekend.

Both she and her father have been in the spotlight a fair deal recently, particularly after Johnny made a controversial return to Cannes following his highly-publicised and divisive court case against ex-wife Amber Heard - and after Lily-Rose offered some rare insight into her relationship with her dad whilst appearing at the same film festival.

Johnny was at Cannes for the world premiere of his ‘comeback’ film Jeanne du Barry, his first lead role since he sued Amber Heard for defamation in a legal battle which exposed the pair’s tumultous marriage - with detailed descriptions of violent fights, drug use, and vicious words.

The jury ultimately awarded $10 million in damages to Johnny and $2 million to Heard - a win for Johnny and a partial win for Heard - but in light of the domestic abuse allegations which emerged during the trial, Cannes’ decision to open with the new drama sparked intense backlash. However, while critics have been more split on the new film which stars the Pirates of the Carribean star as King Louis XV, Jean du Barry still received a seven-minute standing ovation after its first screening.

Meanwhile, Lily-Rose also garnered attention at the film festival after she commented publicly on her father’s return to Hollywood. It was a rare move from the 24-year-old actress, as she remained largely quiet while Johnny was in court and little is currently known of where their relationship stands.

But, speaking with Entertainment Tonight, she said: “I’m super happy for him. I’m super excited. And it’s so awesome that we get to do projects that we’re super proud of.”

Interestingly, it wasn’t just Lily-Rose’s comments about her famous father which people took note of. The project which she was appearing for at Cannes, in which she stars alongside musician Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd), was also causing controversy.

‘The Idol’, a new HBO show from the director of Euphoria, has been accused of exploiting and degrading its central female character - particularly through a series of overly-sexualised scenes told via the male gaze. Lily-Rose has defended the series, but other cast and crew members have spoken out.

Here’s everything you need to know about the controversy surrounding the Depps - including details on ‘The Idol’, Johnny’s comments on his defamation case, and all the hints we have about the relationship between Lily-Rose and her father.

What is The Idol?

‘The Idol’ is a new show which premieres on HBO on Sunday 4 June. It follows aspiring pop idol Jocelyn (Lily-Rose), who, after having a nervous breakdown that causes her last tour to be canceled, resolves to reclaim her title as the sexiest star in America.

The series, which was created in part by Euphoria director Sam Levinson, also sees Jocelyn begin a complex relationship with Tedros (Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye), a self-help guru and contemporary cult leader. Tesfaye is also listed as one of the show’s creators.

Why is it controversial?

When its first two episodes premiered on 22 May 2023 at Cannes, critics immediately pointed to its graphic sexual content as being problematic. It currently has a rating of 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 24% on Metacritic.

In a particularly unfavorable review for Rolling Stone, David Fear wrote: “The Idol wraps everything up in a contradictory morality tale that suggests the music industry views young female stars the way that wolves view red-hooded gamines in fairy tales, while letting you revel in the same predatory heavy-breathing voyeurism.

“It has mistaken misery for profundity, stock perversity for envelope-pushing, crude caricatures for sharp satire, toxicity for complexity, nipple shots for screen presence.”

Meanwhile, the magazine also spoke to sources from the show who alleged that there was a toxic work environment on set, and said the love story between the two leads felt “degrading”. One production member claimed: “It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have.”

Another reportedly added: “What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century. [But] it went from satire to the thing it was satirising.”

How have Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd responded?

During a separate press conference for the series, Lily-Rose shut down reports of a toxic set: “It’s always a little sad and disheartening to hear mean false things said about someone you care about. It wasn’t reflective at all of my experience.”

She also commented on the criticism about the degradation of her character. The actress remarked that Jocelyn is a “born and bred performer”, which “extends to every aspect of her life, not just her professional life.”

“I think that the way that she dresses, for example, is her trying to tell you something all the time or say something to the people that she’s around or express herself in some kind of way,” she continued, before directly addressing her on-screen nudity: “I also think that the occasional bareness of the character physically mirrors the bareness that we get to see emotionally in her.”

The Weeknd did not give such a detailed response to criticism, instead posting a clip of The Idol after The Rolling Stone article was published which was accompanied by the caption: “Rolling Stone did we upset you?”

What did Johnny Depp say at Cannes?

Like his daughter, Johnny was also faced with some uncomfortable questions at press conferences. In response to a question about what impact his court case with ex-wife Heard had had on the film, the 59-year-old actor remarked: “The truth is the truth.

“As far as it being a positive or a negative to the film, all the sort of abstract whispers, all that does is maybe people talk about the film in this way, or they will talk about your work in a certain way up to a certain point. The fact is that we’re all here because we made a film, not because we have a product to sell.”

What is the relationship between Lily-Rose and Johnny?

There was some debate sparked over where the relationship between Lily-Rose and Johnny stands around the time of his defamation trial, as she remained relatively quiet despite the huge public attention. However, her feelings seem to have been made more clear recently - after she said she “super happy” for Johnny after he made his return to film at Cannes.

It was also recently revealed by the Daily Mail that Johnny was “one of the first people” to know about Lily-Rose’s new romance with rapper 070 Shake (real name Danielle Balbuena). He is reportedly “thrilled” for his daughter.