Is a viral story about Johnny Depp saying "I don't know who that is" about Charlie Kirk and the reactions to it real? No, that's not true: The article, which also has Depp saying he doesn't follow "men who shout for a living", originated on a Facebook pages and site run from Vietnam. There are no actual news reports of Depp saying the words attributed to him.
The quotes appeared in an article (archived here) published by a site simply named "News" on October 8, 2025 titled "THE MAN WHO REFUSED TO SHOUT: HOW JOHNNY DEPP TURNED A MOMENT OF HUMILIATION INTO A MASTERCLASS IN GRACE, HUMANITY, AND SILENCE THAT SPOKE LOUDER THAN WORDS" which opened:
It began as a passing comment -- a simple exchange that most celebrities would have brushed off or ignored. But within hours, it turned into a viral storm that once again placed Johnny Depp at the center of a cultural battleground.
The spark? A moment on a red carpet when a journalist asked Depp about a recent controversy involving conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Depp, ever the artist lost in his own world, responded honestly: "I don't know who that is."
The internet pounced. Critics mocked him, telling him to "leave the country," accusing him of being "out of touch," and branding him as "another elitist Hollywood type who doesn't understand America." The outrage grew fast and loud -- hashtags, headlines, talking heads on late-night TV. For a man who has lived through more than his fair share of public firestorms, it could have been just another round of noise.
But what Johnny Depp did next -- or rather, how he did it -- turned the entire moment into something unforgettable.
The story was being promoted by a Facebook post (archived here) on a page named "The Funny Pages":
Later on in the story, Depp was quoted as saying:
"I don't follow men who shout for a living. I follow stories, music, and the kind of humanity that actually heals people."
However, a Google News search for stories mentioning both "Johnny Depp" and "Charlie Kirk" showed no results confirming the story (archived here).
The article also claimed the following:
Months later, Depp's line still circulates online -- often stripped from its context, posted under photos of sunsets, art, or music. But for those who watched the moment unfold, it remains electric.
Charlie Kirk died on September 10, 2025. Even if Depp would have said the line in question right after the shooting it would have been impossible for it to already have been still circulating online "months later" when the article was published on October 8, 2025.
According to the transparency tab (archived here), the Facebook page "The Funny Pages" is mainly administered by people from Vietnam.
(Image source: Facebook page transparency tab of "The Funny Pages".)
According to WHOIS registration data (archived here) the website that published the story was registered anonymously. However a look at the user accounts listed on the site (archived here) shows names like Quan and Hoang which are associated with Vietnam and China.
