Johnny Depp and Amber Heard started dating around 2012 and people realized that the couple were in a serious relationship when they spotted the woman wearing a ring that was assumed to be an engagement ring in 2014. The actor confirmed the rumors and the couple married in a private ceremony in 2015.
However, the marriage didn’t last that long as on May 23, 2016, Amber Heard filed for a divorce. Not only did she want to separate from her husband, she obtained a temporary restraining order against him because she claimed that he physically abused her during their relationship due to the man suffering from drug or alcohol addiction. The divorce case ended in 2017 with Amber Heard receiving a $7 million settlement.
Since then, Johnny Depp’s reputation plummeted and if people mentioned his name, they would also bring up the accusations of abuse. Things escalated when The Sun published an article with the headline "GONE POTTY How Can J K Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?" and Johnny Depp decided to defend his reputation in court.
In November 2020, the actor lost the case and after trying to appeal, he again got a negative answer. He had to step down from the role as the villain Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts series and he lost his iconic role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates franchise as well as several others.
But the current lawsuit has roots in 2018 when Amber Heard herself wrote an op-ed piece which was published by The Washington Post in which she revealed that she suffered from abuse.
The actress didn’t mention Depp’s name but his lawyers and her ex-husband believed that it was a clear reference to their relationship, so they filed a lawsuit against her for defamation in 2019 with the hope of restoring Johnny Depp's reputation.
The lawsuit started on April 11 and it is predicted to last for 6 weeks. On April 25, one of the two protagonists of the case, Johnny Depp, finished his testimony after being questioned by attorneys.
In these 4 days, many audio clips, messages and stories were shared, bringing to the surface all the dirt and pain the man went through. They talked about his drug and alcohol addictions, about his questionable behavior and he talked about experiencing abuse himself that came from his mother and many other quite shocking events. He also claimed that he was the one being abused while he was married to Amber Heard.
Many stories surfaced as other witnesses were called to testify, like Depp’s older sister, Christi Dembrowski, Depp’s doctor, Dr. David Kipper, his security guard Sean Bett, etc. There are actually around 120 people on the witness list for both sides. It includes some big names like Elon Musk, Ellen Barkin, Paul Bettany and James Franco.
There is still a long way to go, but it seems that people’s opinions are changing and they are seeing both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in a different light. More and more people are coming to Depp’s side and realizing that actually he is the victim and this lawsuit is his opportunity to speak up about his side of the story that he hadn't had the chance to do before.
Many people are now villainizing Amber Heard and are very amused by her attorneys, who oftentimes ask irrelevant questions and make remarks that a professional shouldn't make while questioning Johnny Depp and witnesses who are on his side.
It is not clear what the reactions will be after Amber Heard testifies and the attorneys question witnesses that believe she is the victim. And it is also hard to judge who is saying the truth or catch when they are lying or exaggerating, so we would like to know, who do you believe more? Do you agree with Twitter’s reactions? Also, let us know your predictions of how this case will end in the comments!
