Besides the Roe v Wade case leak, I think currently the case that is getting the most traction in social media is the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard defamation trial. The trial has been going on for almost a month now, and it would be a lie for me to say that I haven’t been glued to it.
In all honesty, I am not a big fan of either Johnny Depp or Amber Heard. I have never seen a Pirates of the Caribbean film (in completion at least), and I most certainly did not know Amber Heard existed until this trial. I think the reason this trial has gotten so popular is not just because Johnny Depp is a well known actor, but also because of the uniqueness of the case. Amber Heard had written an op ed in 2018 claiming she is a domestic violence abuse survivor with implications towards facing said abuse from Johnny. Now in 2022, Johnny has sued Ms. Heard for defamation, claiming that he is the one who actually faced abuse. I think this case is not just popular because it involves celebrities, but because there is a case where a man is coming forward as being a victim of domestic violence, a man that is known for being quite “manly” for a lack of a better word, who had captivated young teens and adults as the invincible Captain Jack Sparrow.
From the huge chunks of media coverage I binged the last couple weeks on YouTube at night before falling asleep, I must say, the trial has been quite an emotional roller coaster. The majority of the trial thus far has covered Johnny’s side of the story. I must say, up till now, I was quite convinced that Johnny had not only been physically but emotionally abused by Amber. However since Amber started sharing her side of the story, I feel like there is much more to the story. From the comments I have been reading under the YouTube videos, despite Amber’s quite traumatic testimonies, a majority of the comments seem to still be supporting Johnny, and claiming that Amber is putting on an act. I honestly don’t know how I feel about these comments.
As someone who for the most part has always believed that when a woman claims she is a victim and that she has been harassed, or abused, she should be believed; at the beginning I found myself believing the contrary. I wanted to believe Johnny. But after hearing Amber’s testimony, I feel like this is not a simple black and white case. Abuse can take shape on so many levels, physical, emotional, sexual. So far to me it seems that both Johnny and Amber are guilty for inflicting some form of abuse towards each other.
Multiple health care professionals have been called in during this trial. There have been claims that Amber suffers from multiple mental health disorders. It has come to light that Johnny suffered from alcohol and drug abuse. As a medical student who has briefly studied these topics, I feel like when you have a mix of issues such as this, as well as previous childhood traumas, and family history of substance abuse and domestic violence abuse, it complicates things incredibly. I don’t think there is a black or white correct answer for who is right or wrong in this case.