The Wild Link Between Savannah Guthrie's Husband & Johnny Depp, Explained

Savannah Guthrie's husband, Michael Feldman, may not be a celebrity, but he once had a tie to actor Johnny Depp. During a June 2022 episode of "Today," Guthrie, a co-anchor for the morning program, revealed on air that Feldman — managing partner and co-chairman of FGS Global — had provided consulting services to Depp's lawyers during the star's messy defamation trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. "My husband has done consulting work for the Depp legal team, but not in connection with this interview," Guthrie said during an interview with two of the lawyers who had just helped Depp win his legal battle with Heard (via ET).

It's unclear just how involved Feldman was in the arrangement. However, his company, FGS Global, offers its clients a variety of services, including crisis management, which Depp may have utilized in the past. In 2016, for example, Grazia Magazine claimed that the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star had sought out the help of a crisis management expert after Heard claimed that she'd experienced domestic abuse at his hands during their marriage. "Johnny has been warned that his career could take a major downturn and wants to do as much damage control as possible," shared a source (via Toronto). Given Feldman's professional ties to Depp, social media had a strong reaction to Guthrie conducting interviews regarding the lawsuit.

Savannah Guthrie covered multiple angles of the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard legal battle, which produced a slew of unforgettable moments. In addition to interviewing Depp's legal team, she also gave Heard and her attorneys a chance to address the public in two separate interviews. Guthrie's sit-down with Heard, which took place following Depp's victory in their defamation trial, especially made waves at the time. And it was mostly because of Heard's assertion that she wouldn't do anything differently. "To my dying day [I] will stand by every word of my testimony," said the "Aquaman" star during her "Today" interview. However, some people weren't pleased that Guthrie appeared to have a conflict of interest, given her husband Michael Feldman's work for Depp.

One Reddit user, for example, didn't understand why Heard would choose Guthrie as the journalist she'd speak to after the trial. "I applaud amber for standing her ground, but I just can't help but think why she agreed to do this with Savannah knowing this info?" they wrote. "I feel like she could have gone elsewhere with this interview with someone just as reputable or more." A second user felt that Guthrie was biased towards Depp when interviewing Heard. "You guys were right, this interviewer wasn't the right choice at all. Constantly blames Amber throughout the interview," they opined. Meanwhile, a third commented: "I still wish she would have chosen an interviewer who would have actually been neutral or sympathetic. Why give your first interview to Guthrie who is clearly biased and has a conflict of interest." 

Of course, most of the discussions surrounding the verdict centered on the disturbing things about Heard's relationship with Depp revealed during the trial.