Heard Does Not Blame Jury for the Defamation Verdict and Called Johnny a ‘Fantastic Actor’

Amber Heard Interview

Amber Heard has spoken out in response to Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit verdict, announced by the jury in his favor.

In her first interview since the trial finished earlier this month, Heard spoke with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie. Their conversation will appear on “Today” on Tuesday and Wednesday and on a special episode of “Dateline” on Friday at 8 p.m. EDT.

The “Aquaman” star tells Guthrie in a sneak peek posted on Monday, “How could (the jury) not come to that conclusion? … I don’t blame them.”

Here’s a preview of Heard’s interview with Today’s Savannah Guthrie:

She said that she doesn’t hold it against the jury that concluded her ex-husband was defamed after she penned an op-ed in the Washington Post in 2018 and praised him as a “fantastic actor.” 

Heard also talks about the “hate and vitriol” directed at her on social media, which she claims is unjust.

“I don’t blame them,” she remarked of the jury in Fairfax, Virginia, which awarded Depp $10.35 million in damages on June 1.

Heard added, “I actually understand. He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”

Guthrie said there was no kind way to phrase it, but the jury concluded Heard was “lying” after hearing her evidence.

Heard replied. “They had sat in those seats and heard over three weeks of non-stop relentless testimony from [Depp’s] paid employees, and toward the end of the trial [random people] … about how I was a non-credible person [and] not to believe a word that came out of my mouth.”

Heard, who was married to her 59-year-old Rum Diaries co-star, Johnny Depp, from 2015 to 2016, also discussed the trial’s media frenzy, especially the nasty social media narrative about her.

She 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.”

Heard further added, “I don’t presume the average person should know those things. And so I don’t take it personally.”

She continued, “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.”

Heard’s spokesman explained why she agreed to the NBC News interview, ” Johnny Depp’s legal team blanketed the media for days after the verdict with numerous statements and interviews on television, and Depp himself did the same on social media. Ms. Heard simply intended to respond to what they aggressively did last week; she did so by expressing her thoughts and feelings, much of which she was not allowed to do on the witness stand.”

Since the verdict, Guthrie has spoken with the attorneys for Heard and Depp. Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, Heard’s attorney, said Depp’s legal team “demonized” Heard during the hearing, and she doubted the jury was able to avoid reading social media headlines about the case, as instructed by the judge.

“There’s no way they couldn’t have been influenced,”  Bredehoft said, noting that Heard will file an appeal. “And it was horrible. [The coverage] really, really was lopsided” to Depp’s advantage. “It was like the Roman Colosseum.”

The claim that Depp or his staff engineered an online defamation campaign against Heard was labeled “utterly baseless” and “categorically false” by Depp’s lawyers. They said in an interview, “Social media played no role in the verdict.”

What do you think about the Depp-Heard trial and verdict? Share your thoughts with us!

Write for us

During the trial, Depp was a clear favorite on social media, with the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp garnering over 20 billion TikTok views, while the hashtag #JusticeForAmberHeard has only 91 million views. 

Depp, who has been publicly congratulating himself on his win, took to TikTok last week to express his gratitude to followers, telling them, “We did the right thing together.”

Heard’s attorney told the media, that as Depp “says he’s ‘moving forward,’ women’s rights are moving backward. The verdict’s message to victims of domestic violence is … be afraid to stand up and speak out.”

The former couple had been feuding over an op-ed Heard wrote in 2018 in which she talked about surviving domestic abuse but didn’t mention Depp.

He sued her for $50 million, denying all charges of sexual misconduct and claiming that the story harmed his career, and she countersued for $100 million. 

In addition to Depp’s $10.35 million award, the jury also awarded Heard $2 million for comments made by Depp’s lawyer that her abuse allegations were a “hoax.”

The Depp-Heard trial was undoubtedly one of the most unpredictable and contentious trials ever broadcasted live on television. People are just as involved in the aftermath of the trial as they were during the trial itself! If you were also invested in the trial, don’t miss Heard’s interview and her narrative on the verdict!

Joshua Garner

Joshua calls himself nerd+geek who is also passionate about rugby. He enjoys comics, animes, and science fiction. He finds his comfort in writing about suspense, thrillers and science fiction shows and movies.