Paul McCartney weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding Johnny Depp amid his ongoing defamation lawsuit when the rocker recently introduced the actor in a video at a concert.
Footage posted to Instagram on Tuesday shows McCartney, 79, performing his song My Valentine at a show in Seattle, while showing a shot of Depp, 58, playing the guitar.
The oddly-timed concert footage comes as the actor is embroiled in a furious court battle over his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, 36, despite McCartney having used the video at his shows for nearly a decade.
On stage: Paul McCartney, 79, appeared to signal support for his friend Johnny Depp, 58, as he performed a clip of Depp from the video for his song My Valentine while Depp played his ex Amber at a concert in Seattle on Tuesday Heard is suing for defamation
A McCartney representative did not immediately respond to ‘s request for comment.
In a video shared by Jill Vedder on Instagram, McCartney can be seen at the piano while singing My Valentine.
Behind him is a large black-and-white projected video of Depp first strumming an acoustic guitar before beginning to recite the song’s lyrics in sign language as McCartney sings them live.
“Might be controversial to post this video with JD Don’t care,” wrote Vedder, who is a philanthropist and the wife of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and an apparent acquaintance of Depp.
“I only know him as a gentleman,” she continued, before defending the actor, who has been accused of sexual assault and physical abuse by his ex-wife. “And while I support women and the Me Too movement, I also know some women who have destroyed the lives of innocent and good men. .. @johnnydepp … ps verbal abuse isn’t cool either.. watch your tongue.’
On his side: Jill Vedder, wife of Pearl Jams Eddie Vedder, posted the clip and defended Depp in her comment
Sticking with it: But Depp and Natalie Portman starred in the video in 2012, and McCartney has been playing it in concert for almost a decade; seen April 28 in Spokane, Washington
The footage projected at the Seattle concert was from the 2012 music video for McCartney’s son My Valentine, which also stars Natalie Portman.
Despite the disputed timing of the performance amid Depp’s lawsuit against Heard, McCartney has been performing the clip in concert for years.
A video from a July 2013 concert in Indianapolis shows the same footage of Depp and a nearly identical set design.
McCartney and Depp’s friendship dates back years, and the former Beatle made a cameo appearance in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with Dead Men Tell No Tales.
The Ed Wood star also appeared in McCartney’s “Queenie Eye” music video, and the two guitarists were spotted jamming in a 2014 video for the songwriter’s early days via “Page Six.”
Friends: Depp and McCartney have been friends for years. The actor also appeared in McCartney’s Queenie Eye video and jammed with him on Early Days; seen with Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller in 1995
Co-stars: McCartney also appeared in Pirate Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales with Depp
Earlier this week, Depp’s ex-wife Heard spoke on the stand as she tearfully shared how the Edward Scissorhands star allegedly “shoved his fingers inside her” after he allegedly ripped her clothes off and gave her a ” Cave Search’ while looking for his drugs.
During her testimony, the Aquaman actress detailed alleged instances where Depp had emotionally and physically abused her.
She testified against her as part of his ongoing defamation lawsuit over her 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post alleging alleged abuse against her, though she did not mention Depp by name.
However, she had previously accused him of molestation when she applied for a restraining order in 2016, and she has been adamant about her claims throughout the ongoing trial.
Depp and Heard starred in The Rum Diary in 2011 and began dating the following year after he and longtime partner Vanessa Paradis split in 2012.
The two married in 2015, but she filed for divorce the following May and received her restraining order against Depp. Their divorce was finalized in 2017.
Dramatic: Earlier this week, Depp’s ex-wife Heard spoke on the stand as she tearfully recounted how Edward Scissorhands allegedly sexually assaulted her when he tried to give her a ‘cave search’ for his drugs; seen Thursday in Fairfax, Virginia
Split: The couple starred in The Rum Diary in 2011 and married in 2015, but Heard filed for divorce in 2016 and received a restraining order against Depp; Depp was seen in Virginia on Thursday