Your definitive guide to the trial’s opening weeks
From poo in the marital bed to a lot of talk about drugs and drink, the Johnny Depp defamation case has had everyone on the edge of their seats – cringing and cracking up – for almost two weeks now, as it swings from horror to humour with more plot twists than the best Hollywood script.
Depp, 58, is suing Amber Heard for $50m (£38m) for an article she wrote about domestic violence. The 36-year-old is countersuing for $100m (£79). Here’s what’s happened so far.
Depp sents some very dark text messages
During the trial, Depp spoke about his friendship with Marvel actor Paul Bettany, who he admitted to doing drugs with in the past. Things took a dark turn when Heard’s lawyer Ben Rottenborn read texts aloud that saw Depp say: “smack the ugly c*** around before I let her in.”
Johnny Depp text exchange W/ Paul Bettany (Vision from Disney's MCU) about drowning Amber Heard 👀 PT 1#repost #tagafriend #followforfollowback #likeforlike #fyp #reels #reelsinstagram #explore #explorepage #viral #share #repost #MorToCInc #johnnydepp #paulbettany #avengers pic.twitter.com/8iwh6bOHAO
— Mor To C (More to see) (@MorToCInc) April 21, 2022
It didn’t stop there either – with future texts to Bettany allegedly reading: “Let’s burn Amber!!!” and “Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead…”
Depp finds poo on the bed
The court heard how Depp returned to his Los Angeles home in 2016 while Heard was at the Coachella music festival and was cautioned about entering the bedroom by his security guard Sean Bett, who then showed him a picture on his phone.
“On my side of the bed was human faecal matter. I laughed. It was so outside. It was so bizarre and so grotesque that I could only laugh,” Depp told the court.
While Heard had previously dismissed the allegation, citing her teacup Yorkshire Terriers as a more likely culprit, Depp persists that the mess “did not come from a dog. It just didn’t.”
Depp’s responses illicit laughter
Clips from the trial continue to go viral online, with most of them showcasing Depp’s apparent sense of humour. In one instance, while discussing his drinking habits on the set of 2013’s Lone Ranger, Rottenborn questioned whether Depp drank whisky in the morning.
“Isn’t happy hour any time?” Depp deadpanned, causing ripples of laughter throughout the courtroom.
#JohnnyDepp v. #AmberHeard: A funny moment in court today. “Isn’t happy hour any time?” WATCH ⬇️ (via @cathyrusson, @LawCrimeNetwork) pic.twitter.com/vcZqBEThf9
— Sierra Gillespie (@sierragillespie) April 21, 2022
In another viral moment, the actor seemingly contradicted himself when pressed on his drinking habits near the end of his relationship with his former wife, French star Vanessa Paradis.
“No, I wasn’t drinking that heavily… it’s what you define as heavily,” Depp snapped, before Rottenborn read out a direct quote from the failed 2020 UK libel case against The Sun.
“I was abusing alcohol for sure,” Depp had said at the time.
Depp follows up with a blunt response: “Were you there?”
“You were drinking pretty heavily “
Johnny : were you there?
I love this man so much 😂 #JusticeForJohnnyDeep pic.twitter.com/YyLfqYY7uX
— By🐝 (@lonelysooulll) April 22, 2022
Having moved to his cocaine use, Depp was shown a picture of a small box and asked whether he had used it to store drugs. Rather than simply answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’, Depp replied: “No, but it looks like it would fit some cocaine.”
"You can't say you would carry cocaine in that box?"
Johnny Depp: "No, but it looks like it would fit some cocaine."
[courtroom laughs] pic.twitter.com/jYt8ua1BcK
— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) April 21, 2022
While Depp’s charismatic nature is winning over social media, the Los Angeles Times reports that the jury has remained stoic throughout.
Depp accuses Heard of having various affairs
Rottenborn quizzed Depp on a “heated discussion” with Heard over her relationship with actor James Franco, who is also facing his own legal hurdles. Depp answered that he believed that Heard and Franco were having an affair whilst working together on a project.
I can't wait till we hear how *obsessed* Johnny Depp is with Elon Musk. Johnny's face 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/SLQyorvnwf
— Courts 🖤 (@JohnnyasR) April 26, 2022
The Alice in Wonderland star also claimed that Elon Musk would visit Heard “late at night” while he was away filming in 2015, before suggesting that the SpaceX CEO had a threesome with Heard and model Cara Delevingne after their split the following year. Musk has denied it.
Heard’s lawyer objects to his own question
After concluding his four-day cross-examination on Monday, Depp left the stand, and his house manager Ben King was next to testify.
https://twitter.com/sven_pombreu/status/1518974760813834242
However, when he was asked to recall an incident involving Depp’s severed finger, King didn’t get far through his response before Heard’s lawyer objected to his own question.
“But you asked the question,” Judge Penney Azcarate replied, leaving Rottenborn looking a little bewildered and Depp chuckling.
Depp admits to giving Marilyn Manson drugs
On April 21, Depp was grilled regarding his drink and drug habit by Heard’s lawyer.
Johnny Depp had to give drugs to marilyn manson just to shut him up. pic.twitter.com/MECqt8UFqn
— マヤンク。 (@IncorrectWeeb) April 21, 2022
“We drank together, we’ve had cocaine together, maybe a couple of times,” Depp said when asked about his longtime friend Marilyn Manson. “I once gave Marilyn Manson a pill so he would stop talking so much.”
The trial continues…
Related links:
- Johnny Depp’s island manager says actor passed out in front of his upset kids after drinking
- People spot key detail in resurfaced clip of Dakota Johnson looking at Johnny Depp’s injured finger
- Tim Westwood accuser ‘froze’ as he ‘removed condom with his face on it’
