Johnny Depp Is Moving On From The Amber Heard Trial In A Very Public Way
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's court case dominated headlines for several months in 2022 before finally coming to a close in June. The trial itself lasted nearly six weeks and saw Depp sue his ex-wife for $50 million after authoring a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, in which she claimed to have been abused, per Rolling Stone. Heard then countersued the "Pirates of the Caribbean" alum for $100 million in documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. The exes' contentious trial kicked off in April and featured testimonies from Heard, Depp, family members, and industry peers — ultimately airing the former couple's dirty laundry out for the world. By June 1, the jury had concluded in favor of Depp.
"Today's verdict confirms what we have said from the beginning — that the claims against Johnny Depp are defamatory and unsupported by any evidence," Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez said, per Deadline. Despite not actually being present in the courtroom for the verdict, Depp said in a statement that "The jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled." The actor also took to Instagram to express his gratitude, concluding his emotional post by writing that, "The best is yet to come, and a new chapter has finally begun."
Now, fresh off his legal win, and with a new album on the horizon, it certainly seems like Depp has plenty to celebrate — and his new social media presence is making it clear that he's ready to move on from the Heard trial.
Johnny Depp is TikTok's newest star
Buoyed by his recent court win against Amber Heard, Johnny Depp has joined Gen Zers on TikTok. A source told People that the account (which boasts 4 million followers and counting) is legit. Complete with a black-and-white photo of the star, Depp referred to himself in his bio as an "occasional thespian." To date, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor has posted one video to his page, which shows him being cheered on by his fans, both as he attended the court trial, and as he performed on stage with rock icons like Jeff Beck. "We've been everywhere together, we have seen everything together," Depp wrote alongside the upload. "We have walked the same road together. We did the right thing together, all because you cared. And now, we will all move forward together." The actor signed off, "My love & respect, JD." By midday on June 7, the video had already received more than 561K likes.
Depp's burgeoning TikTok presence has fans speculating that he may be using the platform to mount a professional comeback. This tracks with the New York Post's report that Depp has high hopes for his future acting career, which took a blow in the wake of Heard's abuse accusations. Per Reuters, Depp's lost libel case against The U.K. Sun meant that he was dropped from the "Fantastic Beasts" movies, in which he played villainous wizard Gellert Grindelwald. ScreenRant noted that the role has been recast to feature Mads Mikkelsen.