Ex-UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi extends her apology after facing backlash over her Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Halloween costume
Katelyn Ohashi extended an apology after enduring criticism for her Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Halloween costume.
Ohashi dressed up as Mera, a character played by Amber Heard in Aquaman. She was seen accompanied by an acquaintance, who was dressed as Jack Sparrow, a character played by Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean.
She took to her social media account to share pictures of her costume, where she was seen posing with the other person. The 26-year-old captioned the first picture thus:
"Rumour has it that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were seen together."
In another picture, she was seen placing her hand around the other person's throat and captioned it:
"nvm," an abbreviation for nevermind.
The costume was directed to the highly pursued and controversial divorce of Depp and Heard last year, which involved allegations of domestic abuse and defamation. The retired UCLA gymnast, who is also known for confronting abuse in sports, faced criticism from fans, as one of them wrote:
"It’s Halloween 2023 & we’re still doing this? Domestic violence victims are not a costume."
Realizing the magnitude of her mistake, Ohashi apologized to the fans. She expressed her regret and acknowledged that her mistake was insensitive.
"I am truly sorry for the decision I made with my halloween costume/post," she wrote. "It was insensitive and thoughtless. As someone who has experienced and spoken out against abuse, I understand how wrong it was and expect more of myself. I hope you can accept my apology. I will be better," she concluded.
"College gymnastics is the reward we receive after years of abuse" - Katelyn Ohashi on handling of Larry Nassar's case
Katelyn Ohashi was a member of the USA gymnastics team four times in the junior national team. She stood up to support the victims of Larry Nassar when they came forward to testify against him.
Nassar was charged with sexually assaulting at least 265 young women and girls under the guise of medical treatment in 2016. He was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on December 7, 2017. Ohashi backed the victims and called out USA Gymnastics for the way they handled the case.
"College gymnastics is the reward we receive after years of abuse," she wrote. "It’s the time of discovery, healing, learning, growing, and having the time of our lives," she added.