Amber Heard Speaks Out on Johnny Depp Verdict: “You Cannot Tell Me That You Think This Has Been Fair”
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In her first sit-down interview since the verdict in her defamation trial against Johnny Depp, Amber Heard says that while she doesn’t “blame” the jury for their decision, she says, “You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”
Speaking with NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie in a preview clip that aired on Monday’s Today, Heard speaks about the social media coverage of the widely covered trial, in which the jury sided with Depp.
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“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,” she says. “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.”
On June 1, a Virginia jury awarded Depp $15 million in his suit against Heard, ruling in his favor on all three claims that he was defamed when Heard wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in which she called herself a domestic abuse survivor. He was also mostly vindicated of allegations that he defamed Heard by calling her accusations a hoax. Heard won one of her three claims that a statement from Depp’s lawyer was defamatory.
After the verdict, Heard said in a statement, “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband.”
In his statement, Depp celebrated the decision. He also thanked fans in social media videos. “From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” he said in his statement, in part. “Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”
When speaking to Guthrie, Heard says she doesn’t blame the jury for not siding with her.
“How could they make a judgment, how could they not come to that conclusion?” she says in the clip. “They had sat in those seats and heard over three weeks nonstop, relentless testimony from paid employees and towards the end of the trial, ‘randos,’ as I say. I don’t blame [the jury], I actually understand. He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”
The appearance follows morning talk show appearances from both Heard’s and Depp’s lawyers following the verdict.
The full Heard-Guthrie interview will air Tuesday and Wednesday on Today, and in a special Dateline on Friday on NBC.
In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Heard’s spokesperson said of the 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.”
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