Breaking her silence after losing her defamation trial against her former spouse, the 'Aquaman' actress insists that she didn't receive 'fair representation' on social media during her legal battle.
- Jun 13, 2022
AceShowbiz - Amber Heard has spoken out after losing her defamation trial against Johnny Depp. In her first TV interview, the "Aquaman" actress slammed social media trolls over the "hate" she received during her legal battle with her ex-husband and insisted she "doesn't blame" the jury for deciding against her.
The 36-year-old actress was found by a jury in Fairfax, Virginia, to have defamed Depp in an article in which she claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse and her former spouse was awarded $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages. She has now given her first TV interview since the trial and told "Today" presenter Savannah Guthrie she was astounded by the "vitriol" on social media, saying, "I don't care what one thinks about me."
"What judgements you 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 so I don't take it personally," Heard continued. She went on, "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."
Host Guthrie then asked Heard about the jury's decision, pointing out they listened to her evidence and concluded she must have been lying. Heard then responded, "How could they not come to that conclusion? They had sat in those seats for three weeks and heard testimony from paid employees and towards the end of the trial randos [random people]."
"I don't blame them [the jury] I actually understand," Heard stressed. "He's a beloved character and people feel they know him. He's a fantastic actor."
The interview airs on America's NBC News on Tuesday, June 14 and on the "Today" show on Wednesday, June 15. An hour-long special will be broadcast on Friday, June 17 on "Dateline NBC".
Depp sued Heard for $50 million for defamation following the publication of a 2018 piece in The Washington Post in which she alleged she was a victim of domestic abuse but had not named him specifically. The jury found the actress had acted with "malice" and awarded Depp $15 million in damages. Heard had countersued her ex for $100 million and the jury awarded her $2million in punitive damages.
