Twitter users were on the edge of their seats as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard‘s defamation trial kicked off.
On Tuesday, April 12, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 58, and the Drive Angry star, 35, faced off in court after Depp sued his former spouse for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she penned for the Washington Post, where Heard drew upon her own experience with domestic violence to lobby support for other victims.
Despite Heard not naming the British actor in the piece, Depp filed a lawsuit in 2019 claiming it was a no brainer she was talking about him, which in turn ruined his career. Although Heard came forward in 2016 alleging Depp abused her, he has vehemently denied the claims.
The drama in the courtroom was intense, as Depp’s attorneys painted Heard out to be a liar who fabricated the allegations of abuse. “She can’t back down. She has been living and breathing this lie for years now. And she has been preparing to give the performance of her life in this trial,” the Hollywood veteran’s attorney claimed of the actress. “But this trial is about the evidence. It is about the evidence. It’s about a man’s reputation.”
Meanwhile, social media users had some strong opinions of their own, with one user tweeting: “Cancel culture really is the weirdest thing, Will Smith is canceled for hitting Chris Rock at the Oscars but Amber Heard isn’t being canceled for abusing Johnny Depp??? What a world. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp.”
Another Twitter user also sided with the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory star commenting, “#JohnnyDepp looks so exhausted. This man has dealt with so much since these false accusations from #AmberHeard have come to light. He’s lost his roles in movies while Amber hasn’t been held accountable at all. #istandwithjohhnydepp.”
However, not everyone was wrapped around Depp’s finger despite the massive support seen on the platform. Although few appeared to back the Aquaman actress, one user wrote, “I don’t believe Amber Heard. Is that bad? But I’m not sure we believe Johnny Depp either.”
“there we go, Amber Heard’s team playing the ‘Amber is so teeny tiny so smoll she could never hurt Johnny Depp if she wanted to’ card. MEN CAN BE ABUSED BY WOMEN TOO. STOP INVALIDATING MALE DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS. disgusting. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp,” seethed a social media user.
Another added: “johnny depp has never denied his issues with drugs and alcohol. he’s been honest about using them as a crutch throughout his life from a very young age. and yet there was never a story about him being violent to people in the 30+ years before amber heard. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp.”
JOHNNY DEPP SUFFERS NEW LOSS IN AMBER HEARD DEFAMATION LAWSUIT ONLY ONE MONTH BEFORE TRIAL
During the tense day in court, Depp’s attorney,Benjamin Chew, pointed out the flaws in Heard’s allegations about her former partner’s alleged abuse on May 21, 2016 — after the Black Mass star said he wanted a divorce.
“The evidence will show that six days after Mr. Depp requested a divorce, and he did so politely, and three days after Ms. Heard’s lawyer threatened Mr. Depp with claims of abuse if he did not agree to her financial demands. Ms. Heard arrived at the courthouse in Los Angeles, California, to file for a restraining order alleging abuse,” the lawyer pointed out.
“The evidence will show that Ms. Heard showed up with a mark on her face that mysteriously appeared six days after she last saw Mr. Depp and six days before she publicly filed a request for a domestic violence restraining order alleging abuse,” Chew concluded.