Depp v. Heard Lands NBC News Doc on How Social Media Warped Trial

The effects of social media on the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard verdict is now the focus of a NBC News documentary.

“A Marriage on Trial: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and Truth in the Age of Social Media” will premiere July 13 at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC News Now platform and be available for streaming on demand on NBCNews.com and Peacock.

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The 30-minute doc will focus on the “two distinct reactions — those who couldn’t get enough and those who received more than they wanted” to the Depp v. Heard defamation trial, which ultimately resulted in Depp being awarded $15 million in damages.

Per an official synopsis, “The new deep-dive documentary explores why the trial overwhelmed social media, specifically TikTok, and what viewers missed if social media coverage was their only news source. In the wake of a verdict that surprised legal experts, NBC News examines how the trial evolved into the TikTok trial and what the verdict means for future domestic abuse cases.”

Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence CEO Ruth Glenn, American University law professor and gendered violence expert Jamie Abrams, NBC News senior breaking news reporter Doha Madani, NBC News tech and culture reporter Kat Tenbarge, People Magazine’s Nigel Smith, and more are interviewed for the documentary.

“A Marriage on Trial: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and Truth in the Age of Social Media” is produced by the NBC News Digital Docs unit.

Following the announcement of the trial verdict June 1, Heard appeared on the “Today” show to discuss the perceived bias of Depp’s social media fans.

“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 said, via NBC News. “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 lawyer Bredehoft has since announced plans for an appeal.

“A Marriage on Trial: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and Truth in the Age of Social Media” premiere July 13 at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC News Now platform and will be available for streaming on-demand on NBCNews.com and Peacock.

Watch a teaser below.

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