Johnny Depp's Joke About His Severed Finger Post-Trial Has Everyone Talking
Correction 6/30/22: A previous version of this article misidentified Dr. Jessica Taylor's professional title. Dr. Taylor is a psychologist with a forensic psychology PhD, not a forensic psychologist.
Johnny Depp won the defamation trial against Amber Heard on June 1, as the jury found his ex-wife defamed him in a 2018 essay. Depp reacted to the verdict by posting a message on Instagram, writing the abuse claims negatively impacted his life and that the lives of those close to him were "forever changed." The "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" star continued, "Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me." He wrote that the jury's verdict "gave me my life back." Depp apparently lost his fortune, claiming Heard's op-ed in the Washington Post hurt his career.
Vanity Fair reported that the actor charmed his adoring fans during the trial and outside the courtroom. A Twitter video shows a fan telling Depp, "You'll always be the Captain Jack Sparrow!" The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star replied in his famous character's voice, "He's still around somewhere. I see him now and again. He shows up now and again." But Depp's joking about his severed finger after the trial has everyone talking.
Not everyone was amused by Johnny Depp's joke
Johnny Depp joked with fans about the finger he claims Amber Heard severed while signing autographs in England. The Daily Mail reported the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star joined Jeff Beck on his U.K. tour, appearing at his friend's performance on June 2. It's the second time the actor astonished fans in less than a week. Depp made a surprise appearance at Beck's concert at England's Sheffield City Hall on May 29.
According to the Mail, while signing autographs after the concert, Depp pointed to a child fan's finger, saying, "You have five, I have four and seven eighths. Mad." During Depp's trial against his ex-wife, the actor testified, "She [Heard] had thrown a bottle of vodka and cut my finger off." The Twitterati reacted to Depp's joke. One tweet asked, "Not appropriate. Can't talk about balloons?" A trial viewer tweeted, "I don't think Depp is that innocent. Both Heard & Depp can use some individual therapy." While Depp made light of all the courtroom drama, some experts claim the trial was no laughing matter.
Maureen Curtis, a top executive at Safe Horizon, a victim assistance organization, explained to Rolling Stone that the impact of the Depp-Heard verdict is "one more way of silencing survivors and taking away the one real option they may have" to speak up against abusers in the media. Dr. Jessica Taylor, a psychologist with a PhD in forensic psychology, told the outlet that the Depp-Heard trial was "basically the end of MeToo." We'll see what happens next.