Johnny Depp kissing his mother
Jade Small
Jade Small
March 8, 2024 ·  4 min read

Johnny Depp ‘Worshipped’ His Mom Even Though She Was the ‘Meanest Human Being’ He Ever Met

Johnny Depp has long been a fan favorite. The unique characters that he has played have stolen the hearts of fans young and old. No one would expect this extravagant actor to come from a rocky home, particularly when you remember the times when he visited children’s hospitals dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow getup. It turns out, that Johnny Depp’s childhood had abusive qualities to it. Well, despite his mother’s meanness, he still praises he to this day.

Johnny Depp’s Background

Johnny Depp was born into a family of four children and he was the youngest of the lot. His mother’s name is Betty Sue Palmer, and she was a homemaker and waitress, and his father John Depp was a civil engineer. His father struggled to find work for some time, and during that age of his life, Depp’s family was forced to live in a motel because they were struggling so badly. This was not the most pleasant of situations for Johnny, who turned to drugs and alcohol at the young age of 12. This was his only means of escaping the depressing reality he faced each day.

JOHNNY DEPP & mother & wife VANESSA PARADIS at the 76th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood. February 29, 2004
Johnny Depp (center), his mother (left), and his ex-wife Vanessa Paradis (right) at the 76th Anual Academy Awards 2004.


Depp was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine where he spoke about his frugal childhood. His parents reportedly went into “a quadruple bankruptcy every Christmas.” However, this couldn’t hold a candle to his mother’s childhood. She grew up in Kentucky, in the Appalachians. They came from even poorer means. She suffered from seizures too and was prescribed phenobarbital from the age of 12.

Once Johnny Depp’s father found a job, they moved to Florida to start a new life. From there they ended up moving about 40 times over. This was terribly scarring for Depp, who still struggles to pack and unpack for away jobs and vacations. He revealed to a Rolling Stone reporter that he still had bags that were left unpacked after movies like “Edward Scissor Hands,” and “Cry baby.” Both of which were filmed quite some time ago.

Johnny Depp Faced Abuse

The unstable life his family lived took a toll on each member of the family, but that was not the only reason Depp’s childhood memories are not the happiest. According to Depp’s confessions, his mother favored corporal punishment a little too freely. “It was a relatively violent upbring­ing. If you did something wrong, you got hit. If you didn’t do something wrong, you got hit.” Said Johnny Depp.

He also told the reporters that his mother was fond of throwing things at her children. They could never do anything right, and that was her method for explaining that. She was extremely mean-spirited, but Johnny Depp managed to grow up compassionate despite her abusive nature. It is always a wonder when children grow up realizing what is wrong and what is right, and they maintain a righteous path regardless of the negative influences.

16NOV99: Actor JOHNNY DEPP & mother in Hollywood where he was honored with the 2,149th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Paul Smith / Featureflash

Depp Still Praises his mom

After Depp started earning money with his career as an actor, he did not spend the money on himself, at first. Most people would. In fact, he ended up buying his mother a house and a small horse farm in Kentucky. His displays of love did not end there, and in 1988 he got a tattoo of a heart on his left shoulder with his mother’s name written on it, “Betty Sue.” According to Johnny Depp’s older sister, their mother had “softened” as she grew older. Her mean nature became more understanding and this probably helped keep them all close.

Depp shared this statement with Rolling Stone, “I come from nothing but hillbillies and my mom said to me, ‘All right here’s the deal, next time anybody puts their hands on you, pick up a brick and lay them out.’”

Depp considered this sound advice, and he tried to apply this in a less violent way throughout his life, and he has been very successful indeed. Unfortunately, his mother passed away right before Amber Heard filed for divorce, so Depp did not have the support from his feared mother to help him through the whole ordeal.

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Keep Reading: Johnny Depp’s Horrific Texts To Friend About Amber Heard’s ‘Rotting Corpse’ Revealed In Court

Sources

  1. Johnny Depp ‘Worshipped’ His Mom Even Though She Was the ‘Meanest Human Being’ He Ever Met.BBC Gossip. April 22, 2022
  2. Beaten, abused, abandoned: how Johnny Depp was influenced by the ‘mean’ mom who he worshipped. News24.