So much for staying out of the spotlight!
Weeks after a Virginia jury sided with Johnny Depp in his defamation case against Amber Heard, she is now speaking out about the so-called unfair trial.
In an exclusive NBC News interview with Savannah Guthrie (set to air on Today Tuesday and Wednesday morning with an hour-long special on Dateline Friday), Amber called out social media for impacting the jury’s decision and shared why she thinks her ex-husband won the case.
Related: Amber Heard BLASTS Johnny Depp’s New TikTok
As Perezcious readers know, Johnny sued the Aquaman star for $50 million in damages over a Washington Post op-ed she wrote in 2018. In the article, she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse – and while she didn’t name names, Depp’s attorney’s argued that the actor’s reputation and career suffered as a result of accusations made in the write-up. After a six-week trial, the jury sided with Depp, awarding him $10.35 million in damages. That said, Amber did walk away with $2 million in damages after the jury found that Johnny’s attorney had defamed her during the trial.
In the time since the verdict, Amber’s attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, has made the rounds on various outlets, most notably telling Today that social media “influenced” the final decision. And, now, unsurprisingly, Amber is singing that same tune! In a sneak peek of her upcoming interview, The Rum Diary actress stated:
“I don’t care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors. I don’t presume the average person should know those things. And so I don’t take it personally.”
The 36-year-old continued:
“Even somebody who is sure I’m deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying, you still couldn’t tell me — look me in the eye and tell me — that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation. You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”
Sure, social media’s response may not have been equal, but does that matter?
After all, the jury was supposed to determine their verdict based on the evidence presented, not public opinion. But Amber and her team still seem to think the online chatter played a part in their decision, and it’s not hard to see why they think things were so “lopsided.” According to Today, on June 3 (just days after the verdict was announced), the TikTok hashtag #justiceforamberheard had over 80 million views compared to 20 billion views for #justiceforjohnnydepp. The hashtag #amberheardisguilty also had 900 million views. Damn!
The jury was instructed not to look up anything about the case during the trial, but they weren’t sequestered either, so could the viral nature of the case have impacted their thinking? That’s what Amber is fighting back against (while Johnny’s lawyers insist it didn’t change the result of the case). But that’s not all Amber’s upset about!
Related: Jason Momoa Supports Both Johnny Depp AND Amber Heard?!
Later in the chat, Savannah pointed out that, no matter what social media believed, ultimately, the verdict came down to the jury and they just “did not believe” her, even after listening to her testimony and evidence. Getting choked up, Amber responded:
“I’ll put it this way. How could they make a judgment… How could they not come to that conclusion? They had sat in those seats and heard over three weeks of non-stop relentless testimony from paid employees and towards the end of the trial, randos, as I say.”
Clarifying her stance, she insisted that she doesn’t “blame” the jury for their decision, but still doesn’t think she got a “fair” shot:
“I don’t blame them. I actually understand. He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”
Savannah clapped back at that argument, reminding the celeb that it was the jury’s “job” to ignore the high-profile nature of the case and those involved. The Zombieland alum simply reiterated:
“How could they [believe me] after listening to three and a half weeks of testimony about how I was an uncredible person? Not to believe a word that came out of my mouth?”
Hmm. She’s definitely sounding a bit salty! Ch-ch-check out the full clip (below)!
It’ll be interesting to see what else she has to say! What do YOU think so far, Perezcious readers?
[Image via TODAY/YouTube & MEGA/WENN]
The post Amber Heard Speaks Out In First Interview Since Johnny Depp Verdict -- Says She Doesn't 'Blame' The Jury Because 'He’s A Fantastic Actor' appeared first on Perez Hilton.