Amid the ongoing defamation lawsuit between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, Depp has amassed a lot of support online, and this has come as he recalled the alleged emotional and physical abuse he endured while with Amber Heard…
And he also claimed he was joking as graphic private texts about Heard were read out in court.
Scroll on to find out more…
Now, we all know Johnny Depp has been through a lot these past couple of years…
The Kentucky-born actor, who has been renowned in Hollywood since the 1990s, has been embroiled in a highly publicized domestic abuse scandal with his ex-girlfriend, Amber Heard, for the last 5 years.
At first, this coupling seemed to be at the start of a promising relationship.
After meeting on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011, the actor started dating Texan actress and model, Amber Heard, shortly after calling it quits with his long-term partner, Vanessa Paradis.
They announced their engagement in 2014…
And, not ones to waste any time, they hastily tied the knot just one year later in February 2015.
However, it was here when things started to go a little ship-shaped.
Their honeymoon period was rather short-lived as, just months after their marriage, Depp reportedly suffered a hand injury as a result of “smashing bottles and windows” during a heated argument with his wife.
For the next year, various reports of abuse between the pair continued to surface…
So it came as no shock when Heard filed for divorce in March 2016, just fifteen months after the couple had initially exchanged their “I do”s.
At first, the divorce seemed unsuspicious…
Many news outlets reported that Heard had cited “irreconcilable differences” while filing the divorce petition.
But, only a few months into their separation…
Heard filed a restraining order against Depp, claiming that he had previously assaulted her.
It was a big allegation to make…
So people were confused when Heard retracted her allegations just one day before the hearing was due to be held.
But this didn’t stop the world from turning against Depp.
Heard had alleged that the actor had hit her on several occasions, and even provided video footage of him flinging a glass of wine across the room in a fit of rage.
And, in 2018, the actress penned an article for The Washington Post where she opened up about her experience with domestic abuse and violence.
Though she didn’t explicitly name Depp in her op-ed, she did allude to the time period when, “two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.”
There was an outpour of support for Heard…
Who was even made the American Civil Liberties Union’s “Ambassador for Women’s Issues.”
And, despite profusely denying all the allegations against him…
Depp found his career taking a hit as a result of the ongoing scandal.
Fewer and fewer directors were hiring Depp for roles…
And his appearance in J.K Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, was heavily criticized.
And, in 2018, he was dropped from his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
In a career-shattering announcement just 4 days after Heard’s damning article, Disney announced that the actor would no longer be a part of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Though they didn’t directly cite Heard’s abuse allegations…
It was widely assumed that Disney, who has earned over $4.5 billion at the box office from the Pirates franchise, was trying to distance themselves from the actor and the scandal surrounding him.
But then, there was a sudden change in events.
Depp filed a $50-million defamation case against Heard and presented evidence that he was the one on the receiving end of the abuse, not the other way around.
Shockingly, the actor alleged that he was the victim all along.
Depp’s defamation lawsuit read: “The op-ed [Heard’s article] depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her.”
The lawsuit also stated that all of Heard’s claims were “categorically and demonstrably false”…
And listed down incidents of Heard’s alleged abuse since the start of their marriage, including punching and kicking, as well as staging her attacks.
The allegations are difficult to read.
“She hit, punched, and kicked me. She also repeatedly and frequently threw objects into my body and head, including heavy bottles, soda cans, burning candles, television remote controls, and paint thinner cans, which severely injured me.” His lawsuit read.
And, to tarnish the actress’ reputation and credibility even further…
Audio obtained by the Daily Mail was released that heard her admitting to attacking Depp.
As per the audio clip, she could also be heard taunting him…
“You are such a baby. Grow the f*** up, Johnny. You poke an animal enough, it is eventually, it doesn’t matter how friendly it is, it’s not cool,” Heard can be heard saying.
The case was grueling…
Depp then went to court for his libel case against The Sun newspaper – whom he is suing over a 2018 article in which he was described as a “wife-beater.”
The pair were in court as part of the 3-week long trial.
While in court, both parties played pretty dirty, revealing compromising photographs of each other which have blown everything out of the water, yet again. And of course with the evidence came more allegations.
Of course, this massive loss was terrible for the actor’s name…
But he isn’t giving up his fight.
Depp and his legal team were determined to prove that the pictures Heard shared in the case were forged…
To make it look like he was repeatedly abusing her, when in fact, according to Depp it was the other way around.
As per Page Six, lawyers working on the case claim that Heard altered photos making her appear to have 2 black eyes…
Alleging she was attacked by him in 2015.
Depp’s lawyer, Benjamin Chew claimed: “Ms. Heard’s counsel has repeatedly used these phony photographs at deposition.”
He also shared that he believes the LA Police Department “disavowed the photographs” that were previously given to the court and “did not depict what they saw.”
Chew revealed that the LAPD “found no injury upon Ms. Heard and no disruption to the penthouses” upon inspection…
“Ms. Heard and her friends then fabricated photos that she used to obtain an ex parte TRO [temporary restraining order] and a $7 million divorce settlement which Ms. Heard falsely testified in London she gave to the ACLU and, more scandalously, to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles; sick children with cancer,” he added.
Chew concluded that someone “doctored those photographs.”
“So, Ms. Heard or someone on her behalf doctored those photographs three years later. When that came up in her testimony in London, Ms. Heard falsely denied it. In short, Your Honour, without forensic imaging Mr Neumeister cannot properly assess or verify Ms. Heard’s data,” Chew added.
Since Chew exposed Heard’s alleged false claims, the court has granted Depp and his lawyers access to her phone records…
They will also be analyzed by Brian Neumeister, who is a tech expert.
And, we’ve seen some huge celebrity names in the defamation case between the two actors.
But, it’s not the first time that some of the names have been a part of the escalating battle.
Two of the celebrities involved, have in fact been accused of being tangled up in an affair with Heard in the past…
While she was with Depp.
The celebrities called to testify, who were accused of affairs with the Aquaman actress, are James Franco and Elon Musk.
Both celebrity figures will be testifying for Amber Heard.
But, they’re not the only huge Hollywood names in the lawsuit.
There are many more who have been dragged into the defamation case, too.
Paul Bettany will be a witness for Depp.
And, according to Cinemablend, Heard’s legal team will use Bettany’s texts with Depp against them, displaying violent language targeted at Heard.
Heard’s exhibit list includes names we’re all familiar with…
There will be text messages and email conversations between Heard, Jason Momoa, and James Wan, as per the news outlet.
There are also emails logged from author JK Rowling and guitarist Jack White.
Who else is involved?
Ellen Barkin, an American actress, will be on Heard’s witness list, and she has spoken up about Heard’s allegations in the past.
“Amber Heard was never enough of a victim,” she wrote.
“And we never will be… Unless we’re dead,” she continued.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation, claiming that his reputation has been tarnished because of the things she has said during their battle.
And Heard is countersuing him, which is why so many big names have been dragged into the case, as well.
Now, since the case began, a lot of people have taken to the stand…
And on April 19th, it was Depp’s turn.
Depp took to the stand where he discussed standing up for his children and denied striking Heard in any way.
And people rallied in support of the actor.
Depp took to the stand at Fairfax County courthouse where he described Heard’s claims as “heinous and disturbing,” LADbible reports.
He said that her allegations were “criminal acts against me that were not based in any species of truth.”
Depp went on to deny striking Heard and any woman in his life.
“Never did I myself reach the point of striking Miss Heard in anyway, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life,” he told the court. “Since I knew there was no truth to it whatsoever, I felt it my responsibility to stand up, not only for myself in that instance, but stand up for my children.”
Depp then further detailed the effect that the allegations had on his children.
“I thought it was diabolical that my children would have to go to school and have their friends or people in the school approach them with the infamous People Magazine cover with Miss Heard with a dark bruise on her face,” he said.
Describing himself as a “very private person,” the actor said that for him “to come up here and sit before you all and spill the truth is quite exposing, and it’s unfortunate that it’s not only exposing for myself, it’s exposing for my family, it’s exposing for Miss Heard, it never had to go in this direction.”
He also added that his goal is “the truth” and that he isn’t embarrassed because “I know I’m doing the right thing.”
Depp has since returned to the stand where he has revealed more about his time spent with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
There have been admissions about his severed finger, audio recordings of fights, and text messages revealing horrific desires.
Despite the horrendous allegations, Depp has managed to get a few laughs out of the courtroom due to his responses to Heard’s lawyer.
Depp seems to have taken a charm offensive during his testimony, cracking jokes and making comments at the expense of Heard’s lawyer.
In a montage clip uploaded to TikTok, Depp responds to questions asked in a pretty sarcastic tone.
One statement made by the lawyer was: “you were drinking pretty heavily,” to which Depp responds: “were you there?”
The lawyer also accused Depp multiple times of Hearsay, which is evidence used to prove something at trial from a witness who is not in court.
One fan jokingly wrote in response to the clip:
“Someone sneezes Johnny: ‘bless you’
Ambers lawyer: HEARSAY”
In one question, the lawyer also asked Depp: “you would sometimes drink whiskey in the mornings too right?”
He jokingly replied: “Isn’t happy hour any time?” which resulted in laughs from the courtroom.
Another comment that got the court giggling was when the lawyer asked Johnny: “you can’t say that you carried c*caine in the box?”
“No, but it looks like it would fit some c*caine,” Depp responded.
His light-hearted approach to answering questions clearly sits well with the jury.
But it seems the internet is also loving the actor.
The social media sites Twitter and TikTok have been inundated with posts showing support for Depp…
The hashtag “JusticeForJohnnyDepp” has also been trending on TikTok, being watched by billions of users.
Fans and those who have watched the case from the start have given their thoughts on why Depp has so many supporters…
They have suggested that Heard isn’t being treated the same as male domestic abusers would be.
Twitter user, Ayca Gurelman wrote: “Amber Heard got a free pass for her lies and violence for 6 years. This gender bias must end now. Make her accountable for her actions, Virginia, we trust you,”
Others have also claimed that Heard is playing mind games with Depp, by mimicking his outfits in the courtroom.
Another Twitter user wrote: “Amber Heard drinking wine constantly at home while Johnny was trying to stop his drinking use was not a very nice way to support her husband, that’s all I’m gonna say. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp”
So it appears Heard hasn’t come across as favorably as Depp.
And more recently on the stand, Depp explained how sending graphic texts to his friends about his ex-wife was his way of expressing himself…
Saying that he was just joking.
During Depp’s testimony, text messages between him and his friends, particularly Paul Bettany, the Marvel actor, were brought up…
As we know, the actors exchanged texts talking about “burning” and “drowning” Heard as well as saying that he would “f*ck” her “corpse”.
Many people took to social media to express their feelings about the texts that were sent…
Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: “If the roles were reversed… If #amberheard had her finger cut off and texted a friend, let’s burn his body People would telling her: yesss queen. But because it’s #johnnydepp they call him an abuser. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp.”
Another person admitted that the text messages were “sick” but not abusive…
“I just heard #JohnnyDepp texts. Really sick. But… not abuse. Johhny was blowing off anger to a friend, and referencing Monty Python. Revenge fantasies are common in domestic violence situations. ‘Burn the witch’ ‘Fuck her dead corpse,'” they wrote.
Others didn’t agree…
“Why are people overlooking or jokingly agreeing with Johnny Depp texting he wanted to burn Amber and r*pe her corpse… are you guys okay in the head??? see a therapist. obviously, he’s showing signs of violence and abuse,” another wrote.
But, taking to the stand on day 8, he testified that the texts weren’t “intended to be real,” as per Buzzfeed.
Although Depp did say that he was “ashamed” of the texts that he sent, he said he was referring to the Monty Python and The Holy Grail which includes a sketch about burning witches.
“This is a film that we all watched when we were 10,” he said, as per the news outlet.
“It’s just irreverent and abstract humor. That’s what we’re referring to in those texts,” he continued.
The texts read out in court included Depp saying: “Let’s burn Amber!!!” and “let’s drown her before we burn her!!!”
The trial continues.