The Atlantic

This Is How the Hollywood Comeback Cycle Works

Johnny Depp’s appearance at MTV’s Video Music Awards was at once bizarre and frustratingly predictable.
Source: MTV VMA 22 / Getty

When Johnny Depp showed up at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards, the audience seemed shocked. The actor wasn’t there to present a trophy or perform a tune. His mini monologue, in which he joked about how he “needed the work,” was hard to hear. His face, superimposed onto a life-size version of a Moonman, was hard to see. His presence generated a in the room and a cascade of internet headlines that referred to the cameo as

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