Former UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi apologized Friday for posting “insensitive and thoughtless” photos of herself and another person dressed for Halloween as Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, the now-divorced celebrity couple who traded accusations of allegations of domestic violence and abuse during their high-profile defamation case last year.
In photos Ohashi posted on her Instagram Stories earlier this week, the retired gymnast appears to be dressed as Mera, the character played by Heard in “Aquaman,” accompanied by a man who appears to be dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow, the character played by Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. In at least one of the photos, Ohashi indicated they were portraying “Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.”
One of the photos shows Ohashi with her hands around her companion’s throat.
“I am truly sorry for the decision I made with my halloween costume/post,” Ohashi wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday afternoon. “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.
Ohashi competed for the Bruins from 2015-2019 and became known for the viral videos of her performing impossible-looking and perfectly executed gymnastics routines, always with a broad smile on her face. She performed in Simone Biles’ “Gold Over America” tour in 2021 and mentions “photography/poetry” (not gymnastics) as interests in her Instagram bio.
