Johnny Depp Makes Surprise Appearance At VMAs: 'I Needed The Work'

Taylor Sakellis
 A view of Johnny Depp in a space suit during the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on August 28, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey.
Getty Images | MTV VMA 22

Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance at the 2022 VMAs on Sunday night in New Jersey. The Sherlock Gnomes star left the New Jersey crowd in a tizzy after his head appeared in a moon person suit during the show.

This is Johnny's first major TV appearance since the defamation trial against with ex-wife Amber Heard captivated the world nearly three months ago.

On Sunday night, MTV's VMA viewers were surprised to see Johnny Depp make an appearance.

The actor, 59, made a cameo towards the beginning of the show. His face was digitally superimposed into the helmet of a floating moon person.

"And you know what? I needed the work," Johnny told the crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The Dark Shadows actor appeared once more when the show came back from a commercial break, saying, "Hey VMAs, let's get back to the [expletive] music, shall we?"

The cameo was met with mixed reactions online.

While some fans were delighted to see the Sherlock Gnomes star, others weren't impressed at the appearance and questioned why he was at the VMAs to begin with.