There are celebrity divorces, and then there’s the ongoing legal battle happening between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The two have been facing off in court in Virginia, which is where the actors’ respective defamation cases are playing out. While there were some reports to the contrary, Depp did return to the stand in the trial after all, but what he was asked about requires a bunch of backstory.
Both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard previously testified in the defamation trial, although the Pirates of the Caribbean actor is the latest one to return to the stand. He did so today in order to address comments that his former lawyer Adam Waldman made back in 2020, where he referred to Heard’s allegation as a "hoax". Per a report by Deadline, Depp is seemingly trying to distance himself from those viral comments.
Johnny Depp previously spent days on the stand for his defamation case against Amber Heard, alleging physical abuse by his ex-wife in the process. There’s been conflicting reports about whether or not he’d return to the stand before the trial concluded, but he did just that this Wednesday. While testifying he maintained that Adam Waldman wasn’t following his orders when he infamously referred to Heard’s allegations as a “hoax” in the Daily Mail. In fact, Depp was quoted saying:
It just seemed like a lot of word salad to me. I didn’t know where they came from, where they ended up.
Well, there you have it. Per his recollection, even Johnny Depp was confused by the comments that his lawyer Adam Waldman made back in 2020. This clarification was important enough to bring the actor back to the stand, where the public is able to watch the events on TV.
Of course, Johnny Depp also took the time today to address the real subject of the defamation case against Amber Heard: her allegations that he was physically and sexually abusive to her. He was quoted on the stand addressing these claims, saying:
No human being is perfect, certainly not, none of us. But I have never in my life committed sexual battery, physical abuse. All these outlandish, outrageous stories of me committing these things, and living with it for six years and waiting to bring the truth out. So this is not easy for any of us, I know that. But no matter what happens, I did get here and I did tell the truth and I have spoken up for what I have been carrying on my back reluctantly for six years.
During his time on the stand today, Johnny Depp reportedly also tried to counter the previous testimony of his former business manager Josh Mandel. Mandel has gone on the record saying that Depp's career and financial situation was going downhill before Amber Heard's infamous op-ed in the Washington Post detailing her experience with domestic violence. Said story was what kickstarted their entire legal battle, so Mandel's testimony has the potential to really put a hole in Depp's defense. It remains to be seen how the jury will ultimately land on the matter.
Professionally, Johnny Depp has recently started booking new film roles, while Amber Heard will have a role in Aquaman 2 on March 17th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
