When it comes to Johnny Depp’s kids, we tend to hear most about his actor daughter, Lily-Rose Depp. However, he and Vanessa Paradis also welcomed son Jack Depp in 2002 — and while the youngster typically steers clear of the spotlight (far from going into the family business, he’s thought to be a bartender for a living), we do know a few details about him. Unfortunately, some of those details are downright sad.
As some may recall, both of Depp’s children have had very dealt with health issues in the past. In 2007, a then-7-year-old Lily-Rose landed in the hospital for nine days dealing with kidney failure stemming from E.Coli. Given how close Lily-Rose and Jack’s relationship has always been, it’s certainly likely that the latter — then aged just 4 — would have been traumatized by the ordeal. True to form, though, his exact reaction to the situation has never been shared with the press (and we’re not banking on that changing any time soon). However, just over a decade later, he faced health woes of his own. News of a mystery illness broke after Paradis had to bow out of the premiere for her 2018 film, “Un Couteau dans le Coeur,” with the film’s director mentioning on stage that the actor was at his bedside.
Granted, it seemed as though then-16-year-old Jack healed up within days. Sources speaking to People claimed to have seen the teenager out and about in Paris, and one insider even told the outlet, “He’s fine and doesn’t have a health issue.” Even so, given everything the family had been through with Lily-Rose’s hospitalization years prior, we’re not shocked that Paradis was so adamant about being with her youngest child while he was ill.
Jack Depp’s parents’ breakup was tough on him
In the time between Jack Depp’s sister’s hospitalization and his own health troubles, he had something else to contend with, too. That would be his parents’ breakup — something Johnny Depp himself has admitted was tough on his children with Vanessa Paradis.
Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2013, Johnny spoke candidly about how the end of the relationship affected Jack and Lily-Rose Depp. “It wasn’t easy on the kids,” he recounted. Having said that, Depp also shared that he and Vanessa Paradis had done what they could to mitigate the effect that their split had on the kids, choosing to put their best interests first. “For whatever reason [the relationship] ceases, it doesn’t stop the fact that you care for that person, and they’re the mother of your kids, and you’ll always know each other, and you’re always gonna be in each other’s lives because of those kids. You might as well make the best of it,” he mused to the outlet. Part of Johnny’s approach included avoiding alcohol. “I had something pretty serious to focus on, really, which was making sure that my kids were gonna be cool,” he said.
Thankfully, it seems as though Johnny’s approach worked. Though at least in his late teens and early 20s, it seemed as though Jack lived with Paradis most of the time, Depp’s relationship with Jack has also remained tight. We have no doubts that Johnny’s no-holds-barred affection has a lot to do with that. After all, the actor did tell Rolling Stone of his children, “They’re told 75 times a day that they’re loved. One thing I know is they feel loved and secure and happy and needed and necessary and a part of something” (via Parade). We love to see it!
Jack’s dad’s legal drama affected him in a big way
No dive into sad details about Jack Depp would be complete without mentioning his dad’s and former stepmother’s drama. As it turns out, Johnny Depp has spoken about how the accusations Amber Heard leveled at him affected his youngest child.
Speaking to GQ, Johnny recounted that the situation was very difficult for Jack. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for my 14-year-old boy to go to school, you know what I mean? With people going, ‘Hey, look at this magazine, man. What, your dad beats up chicks or something?'” the actor mused. Of course, some will remember Depp saying that his children were one of the chief driving forces behind his defamation trial. “I felt it was my responsibility to stand up for myself, not only in that instance but to stand up for my children, who at the time were 14 and 16 … I wanted to clear my children of this horrid thing they were having to read about their father, which was untrue,” he said in a statement obtained by Hello! Likewise, Johnny told GQ that he was concerned about the financial implications the fallout would have on Jack and Lily-Rose Depp. “To take away future earnings that are for my kids, you know? I do this s**t for my kids, man,” he said.
Despite their dad’s comments, Lily-Rose famously decided not to speak about the trial, and speaking to Elle, she hinted that her brother probably wouldn’t, either. Reason being? Neither of them had been raised to share details of their life with the world. “My parents protected my brother and me from [the press] as much as possible,” she told the outlet. Yeah — we’re not holding our breath on Jack breaking his silence.
Jack’s bond with Amber Heard was brought up in court
While it’s unlikely Jack Depp will ever open up about the defamation trial himself, one detail that is a little tragic is the fact that it seems he was once quite close with Amber Heard. This is after both Heard and Johnny Depp said so.
Heard’s claims that she was close with both of her ex-husband’s children came while she was on the stand. The “Aquaman” actor had claimed that she, Jack, and Lily-Rose Depp had gotten close early on in her relationship with their dad — and correspondence from Johnny seemed to back that up. Some may remember that Heard’s legal team used Johnny’s emails to Elton John as part of their evidence, and sure enough, one email saw the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star gush over how quickly Jack and Lily-Rose had taken to her. “My kids have fallen head over heels in deep love with Amber,” he’d written, according to the Daily Mail.
Now, it is worth pointing out that things might have changed after that email was sent. After all, Lily-Rose skipped Johnny and Heard’s wedding, with Johnny naming their strained relationship as the reason why. That said, even if Jack’s relationship with Heard did remain solid, the fallout would probably have affected him in a big way, too. Like we said, though, as with most of the sadder aspects of Jack’s life, he has never spoken about it in his own words — and we doubt that he ever will.
