Johnny Depp stans are acting like fucking weirdos
I’m really annoyed I even have to write this, but I’ve been seeing way too many pro-Johnny Depp posts from my friends and mutuals all across social media and it’s really bothered me how toxic these Depp defenders are. I’m not exactly surprised at the “cult of personality” type behavior surrounding Depp, since he’s a global superstar, but it’s getting out of hand. Too many people have been falling for clickbaity, misleading, contextless, and misinformed content that has been running rampant online with few pushback.
Any time I spoke out against Depp, people responded with “but what about Amber Heard?” It’s understandable to take my attacks at Depp as a defense of Heard, but I want to make it clear that I’m not on either party’s side. The only reason I’ve been so outspoken against Depp is because my timeline has been filled with a never ending sea of fans defending him. The majority of social media posts about the pair have been pro-Depp posts, so it’s hilarious when people are up in arms about me, or the few others online, sharing anti-Depp posts and immediately scream “But why aren’t you saying anything about Amber Heard?!”
Yes, there’s been enough evidence to suggest that both Depp and Heard have been “violent” towards one another, both verbally and physically. But that’s not what Depp supporters want to accept. No, in their eyes, Depp has done nothing wrong, he couldn’t do anything wrong, because they know him, they know the Johnny Depp that has won their hearts for nearly four decades. To them, Depp is not the perpetrator of abuse, he’s the victim. The true perpetrator is Amber Heard, the manipulative, gaslighting, gold-digger, D-list actress who falsely accused Depp for money and fame. They’ll point out that Depp has never abused any of his previous partners, while Amber has. First off, an abuser doesn’t have to have had prior victims to be an abuser in a new relationship. And secondly, Heard’s ex-girlfriend Tasya van Ree, whom Depp fans claim she abused, released a statement refuting this abuse claim, saying, “I (recall) hints of misogynistic attitudes toward us which later appeared to be homophobic when they found out we were domestic partners and not just 'friends.’ It's disheartening that Amber's integrity and story are being questioned yet again. Amber is a brilliant, honest and beautiful woman and I have the utmost respect for her. We shared 5 wonderful years together and remain close to this day.”
Depp fans have immediately latched onto any “proof,” real or not, accurate or misleading, that would suggest Heard was the true abuser, without spending an extra minute to review the evidence(s) in proper context. Oh, there’s an audio tape of Heard admitting she hit Depp? She must be the true abuser after all! Oh, the makeup product Heard’s lawyers presented in court that they claim she used to cover her bruises weren’t even available at the time of the alleged abuse? That’s proof she was lying the whole time! So let’s dive into what’s actually happened and what’s currently happening.
If you think Johnny Depp is not a violent person, here’s a brief history of incidents:
He assaulted a security guard in 1989 after police were called about a large party in his hotel room.
He was arrested in 1999 after allegedly threatening paparazzi with a wooden plank.
He allegedly punched a crew member on the set of his 2018 film City of Lies.
He “paid his first wife, Lori Anne Allison, $1.25 million to keep quiet after he allegedly left a long ranting message in which he repeatedly used the N-word.”
Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey wrote in her memoir Out of the Corner about her relationship with Depp in the late 1980s/early 1990s, writing “[Depp] had begun more and more regularly to be getting into trouble: fights in bars, skirmishes with cops… when he did come home, he’d be crazy jealous and paranoid about what I’d been up to while he was gone.”
Actress Ellen Barkin, whom Depp previously dated, gave a deposition in the UK case, claiming that Depp threw a wine bottle in her direction.
In audiotapes, Depp admitted to being jealous and irrational when Amber Heard made movies. “I become irrational when you’re doing movies, I become jealous and fucking crazy, and weird… and we fight a lot more.”
Now here is some background info on Depp and Heard’s legal history:
After marrying in 2015, Heard filed for a divorce in 2016 and asked for a temporary restraining order against Depp. She claimed “Johnny often would not remember his delusional and violent conduct after he came out of his drunk or medicated states.”
In 2014, Depp allegedly kicked Heard in the back while they were on a private flight, knocking her to the ground. “Depp later apologized via text, saying he couldn’t remember what happened. His assistant also texted Heard, saying ‘He’s a little lost boy. And needs all the help he can get.’”
Depp and Heard settled their case in 2016, Heard received a settlement of $7 million, both signed an NDA to prevent either party from speaking about their relationship publicly, and they released a joint statement saying “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.”
In 2018, Depp sued a UK tabloid magazine for libel after they published an article that referred to Depp as a “wife beater.” Justice Andrew Nicol ruled against Depp, finding that the claim of libel had failed and that the article was “substantially true.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, “British standards for defamation make it more difficult for journalists to prevail than in American cases, giving The Sun‘s victory all the more significance.”
A few days later, Warner Bros. asked Depp to vacate his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts films.
In 2018, Amber Heard wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post, in which she wrote “Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Which brings us to today’s trial, which is happening because Depp sued Heard over the op-ed, claiming that she defamed him, despite the fact she never mentioned his name in the op-ed.
Now let’s dive into some of the evidence throughout Depp v. Heard:
Depp’s controversial lawyer Adam Waldman, a registered lobbyist for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a Putin confidant, and whom represented Julian Asssange, the founder of WikiLeaks, was removed from the case after the judge learned he leaked confidential information to the press that was under protective order.
Depp’s longtime friend and neighbor, Isaac Baruch, claims he never saw any evidence of abuse against Heard. According to him, when Heard claimed Depp threw a phone at her and hit her, “She’s got her face out like this to show me, and I’m looking, and I inspect her face. And I don’t see anything. I don’t see a cut, a bruise, swelling, redness.” Baruch testified that he noticed no makeup on Heard’s face, but also later admitted “he didn’t know if Heard… had applied any concealer, foundation, powder, or tint.” It’s worth noting Baruch has been friends with Depp since 1980, and Depp “has financially supported him, providing him with places to live and giving him about $100,000 over the years.” (And, I know this is a generalization, but men absolutely do not have a good track record of knowing when women have makeup on or not…)
Christi Dembrowski, Depp’s sister, “struggled on cross-examination when asked why she sent texts to Depp in February 2014 that said, ‘Stop drinking. Stop coke. Stop pills.’” Dembrowski confirmed that after Heard texted “JD is on a bender,” her response was “Where are the kids?” Dembrowski once sent a text to Heard that said “I love him so much but he needs help.”
Depp sent a text to Baruch saying he hoped Heard’s “rotting corpse is decomposing in the fucking trunk” of a car.
Dr. Laurel Anderson, Depp and Heard’s couple’s therapist, testified that both Depp and Heard suffered from domestic abuse within their families. She said Depp had been “well controlled” for decades before meeting Heard, that he didn’t engage in violence with past partners, but was “triggered” by Heard. Anderson claims they engaged in “mutual abuse.”
Anderson said Heard initiated incidents to stop Depp leaving, stemming from her fear of abandonment. She also said she had seen photos of Heard with bruises.
There was an audio recording of Depp saying to Heard “I headbutted you in the fucking” forehead.
There was a clip of Heard telling Depp that she had dumped him “a fucking week prior after you beat the shit out of me.” Depp did not dispute that characterization on the audio. A few moments later in the conversation, he said “I made a huge mistake.”
There was an audio recording of Depp telling Heard “The next move, if I don’t walk away… it’s going to be a bloodbath, like it was on the island.” He can also be heard shouting “Shut up, fat ass” after Heard told him to “put your cigarettes out on someone else!” In another audio recording, Heard said “You just threw a fucking cigarette on me.”
In texts messages, Depp referred to Heard as a “cunt” and “filthy whore.”
In texts to actor Paul Bettany, Depp wrote “Let’s burn Amber… Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will fuck her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she’s dead.”
In another text, Depp wrote he had “fucked up and went too far in the fight.”
In an audio recording, Depp says to Heard “Where do you want the scar?” Heard pleads with him, “Don’t cut your skin. Please do not cut your skin. Why would I do that. Please do not do that. Please don’t cut yourself.”
When presented with an article from the Daily Mail that suggested he was “out” of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, written two months before Heard’s op-ed (which he is suing her over, alleging her defamation impacted his career), Depp said he didn’t know anything about it.
Dr. Shannon Curry, a not board certified forensic psychologist, testified that Heard has Borderline Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder, basing her diagnosis on just 12 hours with Heard. The not board certified Curry was hired by Depp’s legal team after having dinner and drinks at Depp’s home.
Heard claims she suffered from PTSD from abuse she faced from Depp, but the not board certified Curry said her evaluation of Heard showed no evidence of PTSD. The not board certified Curry also said, “Just because somebody doesn’t have PTSD doesn’t mean they weren’t harmed psychologically by whatever is being alleged. In this case, Ms. Heard is alleging that she was psychologically harmed and that she suffered PTSD because of abuse that she alleges occurred by Mr. Depp.”
If you’re a Depp defender, you might be reading all of this and saying to yourself, “This is mostly evidence against Depp, where’s all the evidence against Heard?” It’s true there’s also evidence against Heard that suggests she was verbally and physically violent against Depp, but that’s not actually relevant to the overall point of this case, which is a “defamation” case, not a domestic abuse case. And it’s not relevant to this blog post!
Heard’s Allegations Didn’t Hurt Depp’s Career, His Own Actions Did
I’ve seen posts mourning over Depp, and blaming Heard for having him relive the trauma of his childhood abuse through this trial. But that ignores the fact that this trial is happening because he sued her over the op-ed! Depp loves suing people, including his longtime business manager Joel Mandel and his longtime entertainment lawyer Jake Bloom.
Any claims that Depp’s career sank because of Heard’s allegations are ignoring the fact that Depp hasn’t attracted critical or box office success long before the allegations were even made, which includes expensive bombs like The Lone Ranger, Transcendence, and Alice Through the Looking Glass. And even after the allegations, he continued to book major films, including Murder on the Orient Express and the second Fantastic Beasts film (a spinoff of the Harry Potter films). In December 2017, over a year after Depp and Heard’s settlement, Harry Potter creator JK Rowling released a statement saying, “The filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.” Depp was forced to exit his role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise only after he lost the libel case that he started (again, this man loves starting lawsuits).
Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald in ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’
Ironically, if there has been any negative impact on Depp’s career, it’s because of his own actions. His highly-publicized lawsuits, like the UK one, shined a light on his drug and alcohol abuse, which would obviously make the increasingly risk-averse and reputationally sensitive major movie studios a little hesitant. Testimony from the UK case claimed “Depp swallowed eight ecstasy pills at once” while he was in Australia shooting Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Reported from the same case, “one studio executive who has worked with Depp in recent years says his inner demons had long ago bled into his professional life, making him ‘a huge liability’ thanks to frequent tardiness and costly behavior. ‘The discovery that came out in that trial alone would be enough to scare any studio,’ says the executive.”
“To many observers,” writes The Hollywood Reporter, “Depp’s negative press was largely avoidable and stemmed from his aggressive legal tactics.” His sue-them-all strategy was thanks to the influence of Adam Waldman, the Russian oligarch and Julian Assange-associated lawyer close to Depp. “The abuse and drinking and drugging are one thing — certainly horrible — but then to top it off by going after the very people who were the closest business and personal relationships for years, shows a level of toxicity rarely seen,” says one industry figure who has faced off against Depp.
There just isn’t a strong case to make that Heard defamed Depp. His own actions, his drug and alcohol abuse, his volatile behavior on and off film sets, and his legal strategy of suing anyone and everyone, did that for him. Similarly, Heard’s career hasn’t exactly taken off since she made the allegations against Depp (her only major role was 2018’s Aquaman), and the court of public opinion, which is clearly on Depp’s side, hasn’t helped her image.
Mutual Abuse isn’t a thing
There are Depp fans who believe he’s done nothing wrong, that he’s never physically or verbally assaulted Heard (this is demonstrably false). And then there are fans who have at least one foot set in reality, in which they’re able to recognize violent behavior from both parties. But their claims that both Depp and Heard were “abusive,” that they were “mutually abusive,” is where they lose me. Mutual abuse is not a thing!
Ruth Glenn, the president and CEO of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), disputes the existence of mutual abuse. "I don't believe in mutual abuse. I don't believe that two parties decide to meet in the kitchen and box it out," Glenn said. "It just doesn't sound right, reactive abuse. I'm going to abuse you as a reaction? No, I'm going to defend myself as a reaction." Glenn said self-defense against a primary aggressor can “look like abuse,” but that it’s not the same as an abuser exerting control over a victim.
According to psychologist Betsy Usher, who specializes in abuse and trauma, reacting to abuse in self-defense can include name-calling, physically pushing back, and other emotional outbursts. Usher wrote in a 2021 blog post that abusers may shift the blame to their victims and accuse them of being the abuser if they react in self defense.
What Glenn and Usher are saying may be able to explain Amber Heard’s behavior in the tapes showing her yelling at Depp, calling him names, and hitting him.
Janie Lacy, a licensed psychotherapist specializing in relationship trauma, said extremely volatile relationships may stem from trauma, and “trauma bonding” may occur, which Lacy says describes the toxic emotional attachments that sometimes embody these types of intense relationships. Experts say victims caught in a cycle of abuse and affection may develop a trauma bond with their abuser. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, this alternating violence and kindness reinforces a victim’s attachment to their abuser, and can enable escalating abusive behavior.
Dr. Laurel Anderson, Depp and Heard’s couple’s therapist, says the couple engaged in “mutual abuse.”
"People can't necessarily leave them, but they can't stay, either," Lacy said. "When they have these 'come here' and 'go away' dynamics, it becomes this very exploitative relationship.”
“It’s important to consider the context under which Heard hit Depp,” writes Roslyn Talusa, a Filipina Canadian anti-rape activist and feminist culture writer, “Reactive violence is situational, occurring when a victim uses violence to respond to abuse. The abusive partner intentionally pushes their victim to this point, then uses that reaction against them as proof that the victim is mentally unstable. This further damages the victim’s self-esteem and integrity by causing them to feel guilt and shame, manipulating them into accepting blame for the initial abuse. Violence is never okay, but it’s obvious that Heard was acting in self-defence to protect her sister after having endured multiple instances of Depp’s abuse for years.”
Glenn says abuse is about an imbalance of power. In a relationship where there is domestic abuse, one person tends to be the primary aggressor because they have more power, which they may possess because of their cultural status or access to wealth.
One of my own friends and adamant Depp defender recently asked me directly, “Where is the power imbalance?”
As Talusan says, “Domestic abuse occurs due to a power imbalance within a relationship—for example, the one between a beloved 52-year old cishet male actor and his 29-year old bisexual wife. That his supporters have consistently ignored the power differential between Depp and Heard is extremely telling.”
There is a clear power imbalance between a global megastar with a net worth of over $100 million whose charm, charisma, and decades of beloved movie roles has won over millions of adoring fans, versus a rising actress over 20 years his junior.
Depp stans are engaging in weirdo behavior
This current trial has been a shitstorm of toxic ass Depp defenders engaging in absolutely weirdo behavior, both online and in person. Depp fans are camping outside the courthouse. They’re laughing at his jokes inside the courtroom. They’re making fancams about Depp. They’re bringing alpacas outside the courthouse to “brighten” Depp’s day. They’re calling Heard a “witch” and booing her outside the court house. They’ve drafted petitions with over 3 million signatures to remove Heard from Warner Bros.’s Aquaman sequel. They’re posting conspiracy theories about Heard copying Depp’s outfits to psychologically intimidate him. A Starbucks in Los Angeles had two tip jars on display, one labeled “Johnny Depp” and the other labeled “Amber Heard,” with the Depp jar filled with bills and the Heard one empty. They say Depp has every right to kill her. They’re tweeting about how cute it is that Depp was drawing pictures and eating candy in the courtroom. The constant need to infantilize a nearly-60-year-old-millionaire is disturbing. Are y’all not fucking embarrassed?
As Ikran Dahir reported on Buzzfeed, “When it comes to Heard and Depp, there is a massive difference in how viral the posts go depending on which person it is supporting — on TikTok, videos under the #JusticeForAmberHeard hashtag have over 21 million views, but ones under #JusticeForJohnnyDepp have over 5 billion. On Facebook, there have been 1,667 posts this week using the hashtag supporting Depp, with a total of over 7 million interactions (likes and shares), and the one for Heard has just 16 posts with 10,415 interactions.”
According to USA Today, the hashtag #johnnydeppisinnocent has 1.4 billion views. A similar hashtag for Heard only has about 600,000.
One viral tweet read “I want Johnny Deppy to win this trial, look directly at Amber, and say, ‘You will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow’. And walk out of the courtroom. Then, I will be satisfied.” The tweet received over 15,000 likes before going private.
Even brands are getting involved! After Heard’s lawyer presented a makeup product from the company Milani, saying “This is what Amber carried in her purse for the entire relationship with Johnny Depp” (to cover her bruises), Depp fans pointed out the product did not exist at the time of the alleged abuse, having been released in 2017, after the two had already divorced. Milani, the company itself, decided to join in on the dogpile, sharing a viral TikTok disputing the idea that Heard used the product during the alleged abuse, becoming the company’s most-viewed TikTok by a long shot (over 5 million views compared to 400,000 tops with their other videos).
“What has been completely lost in the noise,” Dahir writes, “is that [Heard’s lawyer] at no point said Milani Cosmetics’ name. Instead, she was explaining that Heard had learned the different colors to use to cover bruises depending on their appearance. Milani did not invent color-correcting, and there were plenty of other color-correcting products on sale before 2017.”
Depp supporters don’t actually care about protecting mental health or victims of abuse
Depp fans claim to support victims of domestic violence, with Depp being the victim. But in their efforts to take down Heard, they perpetuate the idea that abuse victims must be perfect.
Kellie Lynch, an associate professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice in the University of Texas at San Antonio who studies intimate partner violence, says Heard may be falling into a likability trap. According to USA Today, “research shows women who fight back, set boundaries and behave authoritatively can be seen as ‘unlikable.’”
Lynch believes the current trial exposes the hypocrisy around the unfair mandate that victims of sexual or domestic violence “be perfect.” As reported by USA Today, “Victims in these cases are typically held to a high standard, needing to be virtuous to be credible. These victims typically can’t struggle with things like addiction. But it seems in this case Depp’s struggle with substance abuse is actually engendering sympathy.”
“We’re not seeing him grilled within the same standard of being this perfect victim. And to be clear we shouldn’t be using that against him, but we don’t really see that with female victims,” Lynch said.
This is not surprising to me. One of the most recent examples of blatant sexism played out on the national level was the 2020 U.S. Democratic Presidential Primaries, in which we saw a record-breaking number of women running for president, yet only the men dominated. As Vox reported, women like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and then-Sen. Kamala Harris had good favorability numbers (67 percent and 54 percent respectively), but they tanked in “likability” ratings (just 4 percent for Warren and 5 percent for Harris). This is compared to 20 percent of likely voters believing Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders were likable. And a study from YouGov found that Democratic primary voters who scored higher on a “hostile sexism” scale were less likely to choose Warren or Harris as their top choice.
Voters who had more sexist attitudes were less likely to prefer the women candidates in the Democratic field. | Sam Luks and Brian Schaffner/ YouGov
In the same primary, I saw many people, including people I know in real life, criticize and not believe Warren when she claimed Sanders told her a woman couldn’t win in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Believe women, unless it’s politically convenient, right? Believe women, unless it’s about your political hero. Believe women, unless it’s about your favorite actor.
Sexism is bipartisan, even if you’re a self-professed “liberal,” “progressive,” or “leftist.”
Talusan believes, “The swift reaction to coddle Depp and condemn Heard is indicative of the resistance survivors still face when coming forward about abuse. To many people, Heard simply doesn’t fit their perception of an acceptable victim. It’s disappointing how easily people will believe misrepresented evidence in order to justify gaslighting a victim of domestic violence. Depp’s legal team relies on this misogyny to distract from his long-standing pattern of violence and avoid accountability for abusing Heard. Our culture continues to demonstrate that the continued success and reputation of a beloved Hollywood actor trumps the violence he perpetrated against his wife.
“It’s dishonest and damaging to use this recording as proof that Heard was lying this whole time, or that she somehow manipulated the media for personal gain. This is yet another case of rape culture at work, a poorly disguised attempt to justify continued support of a violent narcissist. Survivors have nothing material to gain by speaking up about abuse. When we make our stories public, we open ourselves up to further re-traumatization as total strangers gaslight us and question our integrity. You would think that this would be common knowledge more than 2 years after the resurgence of the #MeToo movement, but clearly, we still have a lot of work to do.”
Depp fans also claim to care about mental health, vocally defending Depp and praising his ability to smile and get through the trial after his childhood abuse trauma. But they jumped at the chance to dismiss Heard as a “crazy” abusive liar after Depp’s not board certified forensic psychologist Shannon Curry “diagnosed” Heard with Borderline Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder. News and gossip companies did not hesitate to write these diagnoses in their headlines, and Depp were ecstatic to share it and spread it all over the internet like wildfire.
But Dr. Jessica Taylor, a former senior lecturer in Forensic and Criminological Psychology in the University of Derby who examines the pathologization of women in mental health settings, refutes these diagnoses made by not board certified Curry. According to Taylor, the two disorders Curry diagnosed Heard with are “not proven medical conditions” but are instead “highly contested controversial psychiatric labels.” Taylor, who also specializes in sexual violence and victim-blaming, said she has not “heard anyone use the term ‘histrionic personality disorder unironically in years,” and suggested it was a “debunked disorder.” She said “Histrionic personality disorder was born out of the ‘hysteria’ diagnosis, which could only be given to women.” She continues to explain “Hysteria and histrionic personality disorder became known as the ‘wastebasket of mental health,’ with many influential scholars rejecting their existence. Women could be diagnosed with these terms for not smiling enough, not giving men enough sex, being lesbian or bisexual, being too assertive, too opinionated, leaving their husbands, or even reading too many books.”
Not board certified forensic psychologist Shannon Curry
“It is outrageous that in 2022, a psychologist would testify on the stand that a woman has ‘histrionic personality disorder,” Taylor said. She also believes a similar argument could be made about borderline personality disorder, which she branded “yet another junk diagnosis thrown at women.” She noted women are at least seven times likely to be diagnosed with the disorder than men.
Taylor argued that a man’s mental health is routinely used to “position him as vulnerable and victimized,” while women’s mental health is wielded to cast her as being “deviant and dangerous.”
“The legal team used personality disorder to discredit Amber because they believe it positions her as insane and unbelievable,” says Taylor. “And this tactic demonstrates that we have never truly moved on from recasting women as insane, deviant and disordered.”
In fact, after I shared a recent Instagram Story post, a mutual replied to me saying Heard was “obviously a gas lighter and super deranged.” This is a clear example of the continued stigmatization of mental health and Depp fans don’t actually care about protecting mental health.
Side note: it’s also pretty disgusting how this case was a laughing matter to Drew Barrymore and Anthony Anderson (the latter of whom has his own sexual assault alelgations).
This case is about more than just Amber Heard
The current Depp v. Heard case is taking place in Virginia instead of California, where both parties live, because Depp’s team filed their lawsuit in Virginia, because the state’s laws are more favorable. “Mr. Depp’s lawyers said one of the reasons they decided to sue in Virginia was because of the state’s anti-SLAPP legislation, which is not as wide-ranging as in California.” SLAPP stands for “strategic lawsuits against public participation.” According to the Reporters Committee, “Anti-Slapp laws are intended to prevent people from using courts, and potential threats of a lawsuit, to intimidate people who are exercising their First Amendment.” It’s important to note that California law states domestic violence can include “verbal” abuse, but Virginia law does not.
Again, Heard’s op-ed never mentioned Depp by name, but he still sued her for defamation. Should he win the case, this would be a huge blow to survivors of abuse and their ability to speak out. Depp’s close friend Marilyn Manson recently filed a similar defamation suit against actress and former girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood, who alleged he raped and abused her in their relationship.
No matter what happens, stigmas win
Watching the clips of Depp testifying in court and answering questions from Heard’s lawyers, I was reminded of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was famously accused of sexually assaulting Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, and whose responses to probing questions during his confirmation hearings were beneath the position he was interviewing for, and which he ultimately got confirmed to. During the confirmation hearings, Kavanaugh boasted about enjoying beer, refused to answer questions, and was combative with Sen. Amy Klobuchar when she asked him if he’s ever blacked out from drinking (“I don’t know, have you?” he responded).
Depp was similarly belligerent and uncooperative during cross-examination. When asked if he sometimes drank whiskey in the morning, Depp responded, “I mean, isn’t happy hour any time?” which garnered laughs in the courtroom. When Heard’s lawyer interrupted a response, Depp said, “I was talking.” When Heard’s lawyer said he considered a question to be fully answered, Depp responded, “as long as you’re happy.”
Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearings
After Depp’s text to Heard was read aloud, which read “I have other uses for your throat which do not include injury,” Depp, on the witness stand, asked, “I’m sorry, could you read that again?” This, again, garnered laughs in the courtroom. When Heard’s lawyer read aloud testimony from Depp’s failed UK libel case where Depp said “I was abusing alcohol for sure, Depp responded, “Were you there?”
Looking across all of my social media accounts, specifically at people I know personally, the only content I’ve seen shared about the case has been pro-Depp/anti-Heard posts. I’ve quite literally been the only one to speak out against Depp. All of the Facebook posts shared among friends have been about Heard “lying” about her makeup covering up bruises, Depp being an example of male victims of abuse, and misleading articles that claim “Johnny Depp wins lawsuit against Amber Heard.”
In 2020, when I shared an article on Facebook about Depp’s forced exit from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, friends commented “Wasn’t it proven that she was in fact the abuser?” and “That same energy better happen to Amber too.” Recently, after I shared a series of stories and links to evidence of Depp’s volatile behavior and abuse towards Heard, a friend wrote to me “Love Depp. Hate Amber. Lol I’m sorry…” After some pushback from me, she wrote back “Okay, I see the point. I still hate Heard but will be less biased during the trials.” A close relative also recently asked me for my thoughts on the trial, and she told me she thought Heard was manipulative. These are just a few of the countless examples of how extremely one-sided this case has been in the court of public opinion.
USA Today says “psychologists say many people don’t want to believe someone who has qualities they admire could be capable of harm. Depp has had a large fanbase for many years, and his fans’ unwavering support may have less to do with the facts of the case and more to do with their investment in Depp as a man worth admiring.”
It’s ridiculous, outrageous, and pathetic how much these people will go to bat for a man they don’t actually know. It reminds me of the defenders of other alleged abusers like Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, and Donald Trump. It doesn’t matter how much evidence there is against these powerful men, their fans will defend them to the ends of the Earth. This has been exacerbated over the last three weeks since only Depp has been able to give his side of the story. The trial is only halfway over and, soon, Heard will have her chance to speak. But, at least in terms of public perception, it doesn’t matter what she says anymore because her reputation has already been sealed by the ridiculous Depp fans.
“You don’t have to be on Amber Heard’s side to see that Depp’s online support constitutes a morass of media-addled wishful thinking,” writes Miles Klee of Mel Magazine. “Because, for many, Depp is inseparable from the fantasy entertainment that made him an icon, they cannot fathom how he’s bumped into the harsh limits of reality the rest of us take as given. Therefore, they’ve cast him as the wrongly accused victim who is fated to prevail despite the odds. The screenplay is written on social media, the scenes cut together from court TV, paparazzi shots and previous films. This crowdsourced movie has everything it needs, including a built-in fandom to consume and publicize it.”
“There is so much sensationalism to it,” said Ruth Glenn. “This whole idea that before we get the other side, because of who he is, people have already made up their minds, it’s probably the most bias I’ve ever seen, quite frankly.”
I speak so much against Depp because it’s insane how one-sided this whole case has been. It’s a result of Depp fans being unable to consider the idea that their beloved movie star might have done something bad. I’m reminded of Sarah Silverman asking, “Can you love someone who did bad things?” She posed this question after it was revealed that one of her best friends, famous comedian Louis CK, sexually abused women by masturbating in front of them. The answer is, yes, you can still love someone who did bad things, and Depp fans should just admit this (although, they only “love” the idea of Depp, as the majority of them don’t actually know the man personally).
“So, would you say that you sympathize with Amber?”
“Okay. But let’s not act like she wasn’t abusive both mentally and physically.”
“I don’t think he’s completely innocent, but Amber is the abuser in this.”
“Well, there is evidence that she physically abused him.”
These are all comments I’ve received after sharing anti-Depp articles. It’s funny how social media is 99% filled with pro-Depp and anti-Heard posts, but the rare critiques of him are always responded with “But what about Amber Heard?” As if anti-Heard posts haven’t dominated the conversation for years now.
These comments claiming she’s the abuser, again, ignores the inherent power imbalance in their relationship, as mentioned earlier. According to USA Today, “experts in domestic violence say testimony suggests both parties behaved violently… They say a combination of Depp’s star status, a lack of domestic violence experts at the trial and the fact that Heard has not yet taken the stand may be influencing public sentiment in favor of Depp, and it may be denying the public an opportunity to better understand the nuances of abuse.”
“It's wild how aggressively and effectively we've been socialized to judge acts of violence completely outside of any power/abuse analysis,” reads a tweet from @ReenNahMean. “Decontextualized ‘violence is never the answer’ facilitates the false equivocation of abuse and defense, state violence and resistance, etc.” Too often, people who discuss violence fail to consider this power imbalance, perceiving any acts of violence to be equal. It’s just not the reality.
To put this in more simple terms, if I had an 8-year-old kid and both of us physically and verbally assaulted one another, no matter who the aggressor is, this would not a case of “mutual abuse” because there is an obvious power imbalance between me, a grown adult, and an 8-year-old child.
On more serious terms, when Black people protest against the systemic murders of Black people, and if these protests become violent, people will always say things like “I support Black Lives Matter but I do not condone violence” or “violence is never the answer.” This ignores the power imbalance between Black people and the state, a powerful institution that perpetuates daily violence against the Black community. The violence enacted from both sides is not equal. This is not “mutual abuse.”
Depp stans need to decouple any violence Heard inflicted on Depp from “abuse.”
Glenn believes these misconceptions about domestic abuse may be fueled by the case’s lack of domestic violence experts taking the stand. “That expert could give a domestic violence 101 from the stand really quickly so that everyone in the courtroom would understand those dynamics,” she said. Misappropriating phrases like “gaslighting” and “mutual abuse” can minimize conversations about domestic violence. “Please don’t use them until you understand. Because you’re causing more harm than good.”
“I think for people to automatically say, ‘he was the real victim here,’ and ‘she was the real perpetrator,’ is premature because we haven’t heard from her,” says Kellie Lynch. “He’s a bigger celebrity. He’s charismatic… I think there’s probably an inherent feeling to want to like him and believe him,” Lynch said.
Lynch says it’s possible this case is an example of “bi-drectional violence,” which researchers describe, unlike domestic abuse, is a form of violence “not about gaining power or control over the other person, but arise from the escalation of specific conflicts.”
Here’s what I do know, and here’s where I stand. There is evidence that Johnny Depp has physically and verbally assaulted Amber Heard. This is undeniable and Depp supporters must admit this fact. Depp lost his UK libel case because it was proven that he did, in fact, hit Heard, and therefore the term “wife beater” was not inaccurate. Depp is currently on trial because he is suing Heard for defamation because of her op-ed, which never actually stated his name. This is not a “domestic abuse” case. Depp’s constant lawsuits (which he started) brought to light evidence of drug and alcohol abuse, which contributed any “damage” he may have faced in his career (which is still debatable considering how much public support he’s gotten compared to Heard). These are all proven facts that I have been sharing about Depp.
This has been an ugly case that will only continue to get uglier in the coming weeks now that Heard will be able to testify. It’s probably true that both Depp and Heard are violent, both verbally and physically, that they both may suffer from substance abuse and/or mental health issues. But only one of these parties has had their public reputation destroyed to the point of no return (Heard). Only one of these parties has power over the other (Depp). Only one of these parties will continue to be a rich, powerful, and beloved superstar after this case (Depp). Depp stans need to stop viewing their beloved actor through rose-colored glasses. They need to stop falling for, and spreading, misinformation. And they need to stop behaving like fucking weirdos.
In the worst case scenario, Depp is a perpetrator of domestic abuse. In the best case scenario, both Depp and Heard were engaging in “bi-directional violence.” Both scenarios are awful. No matter what happens, judging by the incredibly awful discourse revolving around this case, the people who will lose the most will be the victims of domestic abuse and those with mental health issues as they deal with further stigmatization from the public.
