When the public deems a celebrity has done something so heinous that it is absolutely unforgivable, Cancel Culture steps in. By boycotting an individual for harmful behavior, Cancel Culture can be a valuable tool to hold public figures accountable. Cancel Culture has been around since the early 2000s, but in recent years, the public has gone too far in declaring celebrities “canceled.”

A recent example of Cancel Culture leading to unjust consequences is the recent domestic abuse trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The controversy between this famous ex-couple led to Depp losing his role as Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise, one of the biggest roles of his career. At the end of the trials, the jury reached a verdict, awarding both Depp and Heard millions of dollars, Depp for punitive and compensatory damages, and Heard for just compensatory damages. The seven-person jury unanimously ruled in favor of Depp. 

Many people were quick to assume that the abuse was a one-sided issue, Depp as the abuser and Heard as the victim. Yet as the trials continued, Heard’s abusive behavior was brought to light.

When describing how she covered up her bruises from the public, she called it a ‘bruise kit,’ which sounds like it was used to make bruises. In the steps of explaining the cover-up, she said, “you obviously put foundation first, concealer, then on top of that I use like a bruise kit.” Catching her revealing slip-up, she quickly corrected herself:  “Not a bruise kit, it’s a theater makeup kit.” Heavily insinuating that she created the bruises herself, Heard frantically tried to cover up the telling comment she had made. 

Many people offered testimonies to back up Depp, including his ex-partners Winona Ryder and Kate Moss. No one took Heard’s side on the stand. This resulted in her being canceled which I think was well deserved and she has been canceled ever since. This instance is a perfect example of someone who deserved to be canceled for the right reasons. 

In the summer of 2022, Taylor Swift was canceled for taking a 36-minute private jet flight flying from Missouri to Nashville. She’s no longer canceled now but at the time was getting bashed online. Marketing Agency Yard found that Swift’s plane took 170 flights between Jan.1 and July 29, adding up to about 16 days in the air, with an average flight time of 80 minutes. 

I can understand how these actions rubbed people the wrong way.  Not only is it a short flight traveling a distance that could have easily been driven, but it’s also taking up flight staff and pilots that could be used for other flights. However, canceling someone over their own decision to take a short flight doesn’t make sense. People didn’t stop to question her motives, assuming that they were selfish. Swift could’ve needed to go quickly, making it an emergency flight. She could also have issues with driving or being stalked by obsessive fans or paparazzi. 

Many other celebrities have been canceled for similar issues, like Kylie Jenner for taking a 17-minute flight. 

Since COVID-19, Cancel Culture has come to include many unimportant missteps and minor mistakes that don’t need to be addressed by the public. Many people don’t wait to have all the facts before they assume someone needs to face cancellation.

If someone makes a mistake or does something unforgivable, it should be dealt with by the people involved. Fans shouldn’t join in by hating them or going to social media to bash them or declare them canceled. Let’s end this ideological divide and cancel Cancel Culture.