How Johnny Depp, Amber Heard Trial Dominated Pop Culture in 2022

Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation this year but the trial quickly turned into an unprecedented public circus where people could comment in real time on social media.

Depp, 59, sued Heard, 36, for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post. In the piece, she said she was a domestic abuse survivor. She did not name Depp, but his lawyers argued that it was obvious she was referring to the actor. Heard countersued for $100 million.

The Aquaman actress, 36, and Pirates of the Caribbean star, 59, were married from 2015 to 2017.

The trial began on April 11 in Fairfax County, Virginia, and was livestreamed for millions around the world to watch.

From the outset thousands of TikTok videos appeared and as many tweets in support of Depp, as those watching the trial analyzed every movement, word and action from the celebrity pair, their lawyers or trial witnesses.

It seemed the public favored Depp and a public campaign against Heard slammed her as a liar. The hashtag #justiceforjohnny dominated social media.

Heard broke down in tears as she told the jury how she had faced death threats and mocking online from members of the public during the trial.

A TikToker who shared the emotional moment wrote on the video "now they [the jury] know everyone doesn't believe her and hates her."

Another bizarre anti-Heard moment came when a petition to see the actress not be allowed to return to star as Mera in Aquaman 2 got more than four million signatures. She first played Mera in the 2017 film Justice League and reprised it in 2018's Aquaman.

Heard had revealed she was removed from the sequel due to the high profile nature of her split from Depp and their ensuing legal dramas.

"They released me from my contract. And I fought to stay in it, and they kept me in it. I just don't know how much I'm in, actually, of the final cut," she said while testifying.

She later went on to state in the courtroom: "I don't know if I will even be in the final cut or how much I will be. It was difficult to stay in the movie."

Then in the hopes of further bolstering his case, Depp's fans paid to have pre-trial documents unsealed.

The actor was enjoying a newfound career boost and surge in popularity during the trial, but now documents that were not shown in court contained new revelations—and did not show Depp in a favorable light.

Some of the bombshell revelations uncovered in the documents include Depp refusing to wear a mask during Heard's deposition, Depp's texts to Marilyn Manson about Heard and Depp's attempt to use Heard's stint as a stripper against her in court.

The trial featured many viral moments, including one witness eating during his testimony and the moment Depp drew a picture before showing it to his attorney.

Depp slid what appeared to be a sketch of a person's face on a yellow sticky note over to his attorney Benjamin Chew, who nodded in approval. The video has amassed millions of views.

Another viral moment related to the trial was a TikToker who held a marble race to determine who would win the case. In the video Depp's marbles won the race, which actually would go on to reflect reality.

On June 1, the Fairfax County case ended, and Heard was ordered to pay Depp more than $10 million in the verdict. Heard was awarded $2 million for her countersuit.

She immediately appealed with her lawyers arguing Depp's legal team had committed more than a dozen errors they allegedly committed during the trial.

As the trial came to a close, the support for Heard increased with many calling out the "bullying" she faced.

The onslaught of criticism Heard faced during her trial previously sparked comparisons to the public mockery Britney Spears was once subjected to during her own tribulations.

"Amber Heard is becoming a punchline in the same way Britney became one back in 2007. We can't wait another decade until people start looking back with regret and compassion. How is this even happening again?" one fan tweeted in May.

Then as the six-week trial ended, a number of celebrities came out of the woodwork to support Heard. The #IAmAmberHeard was soon trending on Twitter as people shared their personal stories of abuse.

Despite an increase in public support, Heard announced in December that she planned to settle the case with her ex-husband.

"After a great deal of deliberation I have made a very difficult decision to settle the defamation case brought against me by my ex-husband in Virginia," Heard began.

"It's important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed. The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimized when they come forward. Now I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to."

Heard continued: "I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.

"I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder."

She said that even if her appeal were successful, it would mean a retrial where a new jury would have to hear the evidence all over again.

"Even if my U.S. appeal is successful, the best outcome would be a re-trial where a new jury would have to consider the evidence again. I simply cannot go through that for a third time," Heard explained.