Johnny Depp's Popularity Seems Like It's Only Continuing To Soar

For two months, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's highly publicized defamation case divided Hollywood. The case came to court after Depp sued Heard for defamation over her 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, which alleged she had been a victim of abuse. In response to Depp's filing, Heard countersued for $100 million, per The Hollywood Reporter. Though the case has since closed and the jury ruled in Depp's favor, celebrities (and the general public) still have lots of opinions.

Depp's supporters have been much louder than Heard's throughout their feud. As of this writing, 4.6 million people have signed the Change.org petition to remove Heard from "Aquaman 2," and celebrities like Winona Ryder and Javier Bardem have spoken out in defense of Depp, according to The Independent. "The idea that [Johnny] is an incredibly violent person is the furthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved," Ryder said in a statement. Bardem threw his support behind the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor, calling him a "true caring and loving man." 

It seems Depp is eager to put the drama with Heard behind him, as days after the verdict, Depp announced a new album in collaboration with Jeff Beck. In the wake of his trial victory, Depp launched a rebrand by joining TikTok and his first post, dedicated to his "most treasured, loyal and unwavering supporters," has received over 12 million likes. And there are even more signs that Depp's popularity is continuing to soar.

Johnny Depp's fans have made it clear they're not going anywhere, and they're thrilled to see him back in the spotlight. 

For proof, just look at the actor's emotional Instagram response to the trial verdict, which received a whopping 19.2 million likes. Depp's follower count also jumped from 12 million to 26 million following the trial, which Koimoi reports is a 116% increase. Beyond social media, fans are clamoring to get their hands on any Depp paraphernalia they can find. According to TMZ, there's been a value increase in his movie props, the most famous of which is the insert hand that Depp wore in the cult movie, "Edward Scissorhands." In fact, the prop just sold for $81,250, despite only being projected to go for between $30,000 and $50,000 during the time of the trial. Experts next anticipate that the motorcycle Depp rode around in on "Cry Baby" will go up for auction starting at $250,000.

Meanwhile, fans are pointing out the irony of Depp's successful "Scissorhand" sale, since Amber Heard previously shaded him for convincing the world he had "scissors for fingers" during a recent NBC interview. One user tweeted, "But wait ... I thought those were [Johnny's] real hands." Another quipped, "According to Amber those are [Johnny's] actual fingers, so of course it will double in auction."