There’s only one month left to go in 2022, which means it’s time to look back on the big events of this past year and the celebrities who scored a lot of attention along the way. In the latter category, it goes without saying that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard weren’t lacking for the media spotlight in 2022, particularly because of their defamation trial that concluded on June 1. In fact, one of them took the #1 spot on the list of most searched celebrities in 2022.
Per research conducted by CelebTattler (via The New York Post), Amber Heard was the most Googled celebrity in 2022, with the Aquaman actress averaging 5.6 million searches every month in the Untied States. Johnny Depp ranked second place at 5.5 million searches per month, and it was also noted that 34 out of 50 states searched for the Pirates of the Caribbean actor more often than the Aquaman actress. Third place went to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who got 4.3 million searches per month, and the other notable names included on this most-searched list included Kim Kardashian, Elon Musk, Tom Brady and Pete Davidson.
The drama between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has been part of the news cycle for several years now, but it reached a new high when the defamation trial unfolded, with the final verdict awarding Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (later reduced to $350,000), and Heard being awarded $2 million in compensatory damages. The legal drama isn’t over between the former couple though, as Heard has been trying to appeal the defamation verdict (and has also filed a countersuit connected to the case), and Depp’s legal team filed an appeal saying he should not be held liable for the $2 million. So even though Heard beat Depp in this most-searched list, it’s no wonder their results are so close together.
In Johnny Depp’s case, he hasn’t solely received attention this year because of the defamation trial (though Tubi didn’t waste any time making a movie about the event). In recent months, the actor briefly dated one of his lawyers from his 2020 libel trial in the United Kingdom, he’s sued someone who’s accused him and guitarist Jeff Beck of plagiarism, and a new look at him playing King Louis XV in La Favorite dropped earlier this month. As for Amber Heard, she’s been keeping a lower profile following the trial’s conclusion, reportedly living a quiet life in Spain under a pseudonym.
In terms of their professional work, while Johnny Depp’s performance in La Favorite won’t be seen by Netflix subscribers until 15 months after its theatrical premiere in France, he did recently show up on Rihanna’s show Savage X Fenty Vol 4, which can be watched with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. Amber Heard will reprise Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which opens in theaters on December 25, 2023.
