Amber Heard has given her first sit-down interview following the verdict in her latest battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp. While she came out of that case losing the battle, she does not blame the jury for their decision but she does believe that social media played a part in the ultimate outcome.
Last month a jury in Virginia ruled she had defamed Depp in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed published under her byline. In the op-ed, Heard spoke about being a victim of domestic violence. After losing this recent legal battle, the actress has been ordered to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages after he successfully persuaded the court his career and reputation had been damaged as a result of the article. During a chat with Savannah Guthrie set to air on The Today Show on Tuesday and Wednesday, Heard says she understands how the jury reached their verdict.
“I don’t blame them. I actually understand. He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”
Heard does believe that how she was portrayed on social media played a huge part in how this case was decided. The actress said, “I don’t care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors. I don’t presume the average person should know those things. And so I don’t take it personally. But even somebody who is sure I’m deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying, you still couldn’t look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation. You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”
It is true that a lot of this played out on social media and people definitely took sides. Johnny Depp became the winner early on in the court of public opinion and Amber Heard never quite won over any of the naysayers who were fans of Johnny Depp and believed she was lying. I’m honestly not sure she can say anything at this point that would sway the public but she has to do what she can to rebuild her reputation.
What are YOUR thoughts on Amber Heard’s recent comments?