01x02 - Breaking the Internet
Posted: 08/16/23 18:38
[suspenseful pulsing music plays]
[reporter ] Welcome back.
Johnny Depp's defamation trial
against his ex-wife Amber Heard
is playing out in real time
on television and on social media,
where millions are poring over
shocking details and taking sides.
[crowd cheering]
[police sirens wail]
[reporter ] Amber, how you feeling?
My video about this pod episode
is at almost , views,
and I just posted it yesterday.
[dialogue echoes]
[woman] It has many facets
that we have to look at,
including fame,
the Me Too movement, cancel culture.
It is just a, uh...
sort of a perfect storm, if you will.
[reporter ] Number one over Elon Musk.
More than four times Joe Biden.
ab*rtion opinion,
more than five times greater.
The Ukraine w*r,
more than six times greater.
This story is the biggest story
online in the nation.
[reporter ] News anchors lined up
outside the courthouse.
Numerous cameras inside the courtroom
live-streaming every minute.
Uh, take us for a little tour of our...
I think we have video of our mobile setup.
[female anchor] We actually have heating
and air conditioning sometimes in here.
[fans cheering]
[reporter ] People are live-tweeting,
people are live-streaming.
What does it all mean? Where does it end?
It's been, uh, you know,
a social media circus
of commentary from creators
and influencers and, uh... and laypeople.
I think that the truth was lost
on social media, uh, quite some time ago.
Well, there are new concerns
about the spread
of misinformation on TikTok.
According to researchers,
American users spend three times
as much time on TikTok than on Twitter.
Explain for us more about the app's design
and why it is particularly problematic.
You have a platform
that uses short videos.
It has a powerful and very mysterious
recommendation algorithm.
You've got a billion users
that are constantly filtering
through a very fast-moving feed.
Videos can be very easily manipulated
and republished.
I was walking out of the bedroom,
slapped me across the face,
and I said, "Johnny, you hit me."
You just hit me. Hit me.
[woman] There are parody videos
that often get mistaken as fact.
[woman] People are obsessed
with this case. On TikTok,
people could really broadcast
their theories.
[Heard] I was sitting there
on this carpet.
[woman] Especially when the case
is live in court
and you have all this footage.
You could show them authentically
what is going on.
What are people posting?
...talked about Australia.
I think this might decide the case,
because this is where the parties
are alleging the most significant dispute,
and they're in such contradiction,
that the jury can only think
one of them is true.
I think they're going to come
to the conclusion
that one of them is lying about Australia.
Let's take a look
about what they said happened.
I was... I was working
on Pirates of the Caribbean five.
[Vasquez] Mr. Depp,
was Ms. Heard in Australia with you?
She came a little later, yes.
[Vasquez] And what happened
when Ms. Heard
came to visit you in Australia?
[dramatic music playing]
Um...
[David Letterman] Thank you very much.
Johnny Depp's here.
I haven't seen it, but I know it
ahead of time, and now I see it,
that you're wea... wearing a, uh... a...
you have an engagement ring.
I do, I have a female engagement ring...
- Yeah.
- ...on my finger.
[Letterman] But you...
you, uh, uh, you're getting married.
- Well, it's... uh, yeah. Uh, yeah.
- Yeah.
But it's... it's not typical for a m-man
to wear an engagement ring, is it?
No.
- [audience laughs]
- Uh...
- It was too big for my girl, so, uh...
- [laughs] Is it?
So the woman you're, uh...
Who's been on the show, by the way.
- Amber, yeah. Yeah.
- Oh, lovely.
[paparazzi] Amber!
[woman] Amber, look to your left!
[man] Amber. Big smile, Amber!
[melancholic music plays]
[Depp] I had proposed to Ms. Heard
a couple of years before, I believe,
so we talked occasionally
about when would be
the right time between schedules
so that we could actually have
a wedding and a honeymoon,
and... and then go on
to do the work in Australia.
[fans cheering]
I was marrying the love of my life.
[voice breaking] It was complicated,
but he was the love of my life.
[announcer over PA] Ladies and gentlemen,
Johnny Depp!
[crowd cheering]
[Depp] We all left for the island for the...
well, the dream wedding, I guess.
[camera clicks]
[Heard] We walked down the beach aisle,
said our vows,
and shot the bird,
meaning the middle finger,
up at the paparazzi
while we were on the altar.
[chuckles sadly]
And we danced and celebrated.
And then I left the island
'cause I had to go work.
[man] Amber! Straight ahead please.
[reporter] Amber Heard is years younger
and was building a career
and name recognition within Hollywood,
but she was certainly nowhere
near the star that Johnny Depp was.
- [man] Hi, we're here with Amber Heard.
- Hi.
[man] Explain quickly your character.
I play a young girl who's caught up
in the fast-paced, decadent,
s lifestyle of Los Angeles,
and, uh, sh... and her, um...
She's a beautiful woman
who ultimately, um...
Ultimately, that beauty causes her demise
and the demise
of other characters around her.
And it was an interesting part.
I took the bus around L.A.
It was before smartphones.
I had a... a Thomas Guide
and a change of t*nk tops,
and I just hustled
from one audition to the other.
- [man ] Right here, Amber.
- [man ] Amber, right here.
It's been a slow progression,
I guess, since then,
you know, of doing
either tiny bit parts in bigger movies
or doing larger roles
in movies that no one would see,
and I guess, you know,
it still is kind of like that.
[lawyer] When you say you left the island,
you had to go to work,
what... what were you working on?
[man] And three, two...
[Heard] I was filming
The Danish Girl in London.
I was there doing,
kind of, prep work for that film.
[Depp] I was going off to Australia.
- [man exclaims]
- [body thuds]
Gentlemen!
[Heard] The plan was always
for me to wrap on my movie
and then come and join him in Australia
where he was filming Pirates five.
[lawyer] Okay,
and when approximately was that?
That was March rd.
[Andy Signore] Guys, I am shocked
at the massive amounts of love and support
that you guys
have been showing this channel,
and specifically our coverage
of the Justice for Johnny Depp movement.
Welcome back to another episode
of Darthn ws special edition,
"Everybody Loves Johnny."
[audio distorts] Actually, scratch that.
[normally] "Everybody Hates Amber."
[woman] You have creators
on platforms like YouTube.
All of a sudden,
they're pumping out
videos about this trial.
[Signore] If you haven't, do me a favor,
hit the subscribe button,
hit the bell for alerts.
I think everybody's waiting
to see the evidence. That's what I...
[Shady Jay] For those of you
who don't know, Super Chats is a way,
on YouTube, for people watching
someone streaming to donate.
[man] Loww, thank you for the gift,
giving me subs. I appreciate that.
Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.
[Shady Jay] It allows their comment to go
to the top. It kinda highlights
that... that person and their donation.
[woman] Hey, there. If we haven't met yet,
I'm Emily D. Baker, the badass lawyer,
and everyone's favorite legal commentator.
I break down the legal shit
behind the news and pop culture stories
we all wanna talk about.
- We are here to call to order...
- [bangs gavel]
...the case of Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard.
Today, we are watching
through live testimony
of what happened in Australia.
[brooding ethereal music plays]
[lawyer] Now, I'm going to ask you
to take this jury through what happened
once you arrived there.
[Heard] Um, I flew in. I arrived early.
Uh, I... Immediately,
I walked into the bedroom.
I was so excited to... to see him.
I was looking forward to having
this, kind of, you know,
"our style" at-home date. You know,
a new... we're a new married couple.
We hadn't seen each other
for basically a month...
[inhales sharply]...after getting married.
And I start dinner
and am happy to see him,
and some point early in that evening,
he pulls out a bag of MDMA.
I asked him what it was,
and he told me it was MDMA.
And I was surprised because, at the time,
he had already gotten clean and sober.
It was for the wedding.
So I was surprised
that he would even pull out this bag,
and he kinda seemed to suggest
that we should do it together,
and I was like, "Absolutely not."
Like, "I just got here. I just got here!"
"I wanna see you,
I wanna spend time with you."
Ms. Heard was upset because,
as it was too late
for a pre-nup agreement,
there... there was, uh, discussion
of post-nup agreement.
She could not let go of the fact
that I was in
on this, uh, post-nup agreement
and that I was trying to trick her
into, uh, essentially getting nothing
if, uh...
if something were to happen.
She's telling me, "You don't trust me,
you don't trust me, you don't trust me."
And, um, all I could do
was... try to calm her down.
- That...
- [Vasquez] Did that work?
[Depp] It did not work, no.
It escalated and escalated,
and t-turned into, uh...
madness, chaos.
- [Vasquez] Can you please...
- v*olence.
[Vasquez] Can you please describe
that chaos and v*olence?
[Depp yelling]
[Rottenborn] Why were you
at the house that Sunday?
I was called to the house
by one of Mr. Depp's assistants.
[Rottenborn] And did you observe anything
when you went into the house?
Yeah, I mean, initially,
I heard pretty hysterical sobbing, crying,
which sounded like Ms. Heard to me.
Just crying uncontrollably,
I think it's fair to say.
There was a bit of damage down the steps.
A big chunk had been taken
out of the marble staircase.
Walking down into the bar,
I could see the damage,
a broken ping-pong table,
sort of collapsed onto the floor,
lots of glass and cans
strewn around the bar area.
Apparently, Hulk came through.
Broken glass is
consistent with his version.
[Rottenborn] Who was there
when you arrived?
Um, Debbie Lloyd was there.
[Rottenborn] Eleven-thirty, you wrote,
"MD received a text message from client
that he'd been arguing with wife
and that he had cut his finger."
"According to patient,
his assistant and security
were on their way to pick him up."
You wrote that?
According to my notes, yes.
David Kipper was there.
I went in to instruct
one of the people with him
to look for the tip of the finger,
hoping that we would be able
to put it back.
[King] It was pretty extensive,
all that broken glass, the blood.
There were a lot of blood drips
across that floor.
It's a kind of cream-colored tiled floor.
On the next floor, on the main floor,
there's a sitting room with a couch on...
a cream-colored couch,
which had a fair amount
of blood drips on the cushions,
and we'd set up an art studio,
so a lot of the art materials from that,
you know, paintbrushes, paint,
a lot of paint on the floor.
Going into the master bathroom,
there was a his-and-hers sinks
and a mirror, a large mirror,
above each of the sinks
that had writing on each of them.
Both of the bedrooms,
I think, had blood on the duvet covers.
That's about the extent of it.
Oh, is that all?
[Rottenborn] Uh, whose job was it
to clean all that up?
It was mine. [laughs] It was mine.
Well, I'll... I'll just cut to the chase.
I... I think that I ended up locking myself
in about, at lea... at least nine
bedrooms, bathrooms that day,
um, as she was banging on the doors
and screaming obscenities
and wanting
to, uh, have a physical altercation.
[Vasquez] So how did it come to be
that your finger became injured?
I left the... place,
the... the room that I was hiding in,
or not hiding, locked myself into.
[tense music plays]
And I went downstairs,
and there was a, uh, bar,
so I grabbed
a bottle of vodka that was there,
and a shot glass,
and sat at the bar.
She was nowhere around.
Poured myself two or three stiff sh*ts
of, uh... of the vodka,
first taste of alcohol
I'd had in a long time.
And, um...
then she came down
to the bar and found me there,
and of course started screaming,
"Oh, you're drinking again!"
"Ah, the monster," and all that. Um...
You can see how he feels about that.
Um, he holds up this bottle,
and kind of gesturing
with the... the bottle towards me,
and, uh, I reach for it,
and he'd revoke it,
kind of laugh at me.
[sighs] And he's holding out the bottle.
I think, maybe the third time or so,
I get a hold of it.
I pick it up
and I slam it down on the ground,
right in between us,
and I smashed the bottle on the floor,
and that really set him off.
She grabbed the... the bottle of vodka...
and then just, uh, kind of stood back
and then...
hurled it at me.
Takes the second bottle,
which was the larger one,
she threw the large bottle,
and it made contact
and shattered, uh, everywhere,
and then I realized
that the... the tip of my finger, uh,
had been severed.
[Vasquez] What is
this a picture of, Mr. Depp?
The remains of my finger.
I-I-I honestly don't remember
if I, um, threw anything in his direction.
I... I don't think I did.
Um, I just remember
him having me by the nightgown.
Um, I remember him flailing me,
uh, throwing me around.
I'm flailing, um...
I remember at one point,
he's teasing me, he... taunting me,
that I... he has my, um...
my breast in his hand.
Um, my nightgown came completely off.
It was ripped off of me.
So... [voice breaks] I was naked,
and I'm slipping around on this tile,
and...
at... [gasps]
at some point,
he's on top of... of... of... of me.
I'm on the countertop,
he had me by the neck,
and I'm looking at h... in his eyes.
[sobs] And I don't see him anymore.
I don't see him anymore.
It wasn't him. It was black.
I've never been... so scared in my life.
It was... It was black. I couldn't see him.
And... [sobs]...my head was bashing
against the back of the bar,
and I couldn't breathe.
Um, this is a lot.
And I remember trying to get up,
and I was slipping on the glass.
My feet were slipping,
my arms were slipping on the countertop.
And I remember just trying
to get up so I could breathe,
so I could tell him
that he was really hurting me.
I didn't think he knew what he was doing.
[somber music plays]
[Heard] I don't know how.
[breath trembling]
I'm sorry.
[sobbing]
I'm sorry.
I couldn't breathe.
Please.
I don't... [breath catches]
[sobs] I don't wanna do this.
I don't wanna do this.
[sobs]
Amber Heard has said on the stand
she doesn't have a clear recollection
of how things unfolded,
but she has alleged
that he sexually assaulted her
with a bottle.
There were a couple of points
in the trial that,
uh, should have never
come out so publicly.
It is so hard to assess the credibility
of either Johnny Depp
or Amber Heard for one simple reason,
they're both actors.
They're good at getting people to feel
the way that they want them to feel.
Welcome to Popcorned Planet,
I'm Andy Signore, and I'm not gonna lie,
today was rough.
I'm feeling bad
for all the survivors out there
that just watched this performance
'cause I'm not buying it,
and I've gotten so many messages
from so many of you
who have been through similar experiences,
and you're not buying it either.
[Heard] Like, he was on top of me,
and I'm loo... I...
I'm looking at h... in his eyes,
and I don't see him anymore.
I don't see him anymore.
Ligature marks and finger marks bruising
is very, very common.
And I'm sorry
that that was your experience,
but thank you for sharing
your experience with the chat.
So they're like, "Look,
these are the things
we find, uh, confusing."
"Amber Heard is a psychopath"
is currently trending on Twitter,
so, uh... [laughs]
If you are mentally and physically abused,
like, a person of domestic v*olence,
male or female,
would you be able to go to court,
get on the stand,
and be a lairy, smarmy b*tch?
Has anyone seen Gone Girl?
[Amy Dunne] Wait for your clueless husband
to start his day.
Meticulously stage your crime scene.
[sobbing] It's fake. It is so fake!
Like, how could you make such a mockery
of the victims like she's doing?
Sexual penetration
with an object is really severe,
and unlike the rest
of what she says about Johnny Depp,
almost requires
some sort of sadistic nature,
so I think Australia,
his story's more believable.
This has moved away
from, like, a news story or a lawsuit,
and it's... it's... it's transformed
into a cultural moment.
And I wasn't old enough to experience
the impact of the O.J. Simpson trial,
but if I had to guess,
the hold, the chokehold
that this lawsuit has on the world...
- [man] It's up there, yeah.
- ...it's comparable.
And also the ways in which information
and news are spread
is very different today
than it was before.
- O.J. TikTok would have been...
- [hosts laugh]
- [Gorjian] Oh, my God.
- ...wild.
[man] Truly wild.
- [Gorjian] Truly wild.
- Yeah.
[news anchor] Social media is clearly
playing a role in this case.
I cannot tell you how much time I spend
dealing with folks on social media.
And I tell you what,
the Johnny Depp folks are fanatics.
[Vasquez] And while working for TMZ,
were you involved
in any assignments related to Ms. Heard?
I was.
On the th, we received a video,
um, depicting, um, Johnny Depp,
um, s-slamming some cabinets
that was captured by Ms. Heard.
[Vasquez] How does that video
that was played in this trial
compare to the one
you received on August , ?
It was much shorter
than the video we had recei...
uh, than the video
that's been played in this trial.
There was some... a bit
at the beginning that was played here,
which Ms. Heard is, um, seemingly,
sort of, setting up the camera
and getting into position,
and then there's a bit at the end
where she's seemingly sniggering
and looks at the camera.
That part was not present
in what we received.
[Vasquez] Did TMZ edit the video?
No, not even a little.
- Nothing further, Your Honor.
- [Azcarate] Cross-examination?
Yes. Uh, so, you know this case
is being televised, right?
I... I am aware that there are cameras.
And so this gets you
your minutes of fame.
[Vasquez] Objection, Your Honor.
Argumentative.
- I... I can ask that question.
- [Azcarate] Overruled.
Um...
...and I'm not seeking any minutes here.
Though you may...
you're welcome to speculate.
I could say the same thing,
by taking Amber Heard as a client,
for you.
[funky instrumental
gangster rap music plays]
[woman] The issue when you go in court
and when you have to testify
and when there's evidence brought,
it's really... it's quite literally airing
your dirty laundry.
That's why celebrities
always settle cases.
You never want to go into court
for that very reason.
Could they not have
figured this out privately? Um...
I think... And we've talked
about this before on the show.
I think that making it, um, accessible
to the public was a strategy,
I think, probably brought
to the table by Johnny's team.
[man on recording] This podcast
is for entertainment purposes only.
With this Depp/Heard trial,
the engagement is phenomenal.
I mean, it's just so cool
to see everyone get involved
and wanna know about the legal process
and the laws that are involved.
But that's... The thing is about justice
is that it's not about the truth,
it's not about right or wrong.
Unfortunately,
it's about
what the judge or jury believes,
and that's...
And on the information that's presented.
And that's why trials are theater.
It's not nec... It's supposed to be
this search for the truth,
but it's really about us orchestrating
what witnesses we're gonna bring in,
the order of proof
that we're gonna present this story,
and how we're gonna do it,
what we're gonna keep in,
what we're gonna keep out.
[male host] This is Law Disrupted,
and today we have the privilege
of speaking with Camille Vasquez.
[Vasquez] Johnny's testimony
was a... a key point for us.
It was the first time that the world,
really the jury, right, in... in this case,
the jury got to hear from him
in his own words.
We needed to give him
the opportunity to speak and speak freely.
We introduced the jury to Johnny Depp
and who the real Johnny Depp was.
So, we introduced the jury to his sister,
who was able to give a background
about who the little boy was...
[chuckles]...before he became Johnny Depp,
and who the man is now.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
All right, your first witness.
[Chew] Miss Dembrowski,
would you please tell the jurors
what your relationship
with Johnny was like
when you were growing up?
[chuckles] Um...
Johnny and I were very close. Uh...
We were just friends.
We were like best friends.
[Chew] Miss Dembrowski,
how would you describe
your parents' relationship?
That was complicated.
Um, I had a very...
[chuckling]...interesting childhood,
um, one that I thought
was normal until a certain age.
[Vasquez] Could you please tell them
about your history of substance use?
At about the age of, I don't know,
f-four, five years old,
I... I can remember vividly my... my mom
telling me to go get her nerve pills,
you know, um,
out of her purse
that was hanging on the back of the door.
[ethereal music plays]
So I'd go get
the nerve pills and I'd take it,
and, um, you know, after a few years,
you start to notice...
well, you start to think
about "nerve pills."
"Nerve pill." [chuckles]
And then she seemed to calm down
after she took those "nerve pills."
So, when I was years old,
um,
I wanted to calm down.
I'd bring my mom her nerve pill,
I would walk away... [clicks tongue]
...and I would take one myself,
um...
to escape the... the chaotic... nature
of... of what w...
of what we were living, uh, through.
My mother was...
quite unpredictable,
and she was quite violent,
and the physical pain,
y-you learn to deal with,
you learn to accept it,
but the, uh, psychological
and emotional abuse,
that's what, uh...
that's what kind of tore us up, I think.
[Vasquez] Mr. Depp, is there any substance
you've ever been addicted to?
- [Depp] Yes.
- [Vasquez] And... And what is that?
Um...
Roxicodone.
So far, everybody's just making
these speculations
based off of whatever they're reading.
We haven't heard it
out of the horse's mouth until now.
And now that we have,
or started to hear about these things...
it only makes him seem
like a more honest human being,
a more likable person.
[Depp] The pills that I was addicted to,
the... the Roxicodone,
which are very, very powerful opiates,
two of those
would knock me out.
You go on what's called "the nod,"
and then it takes you away into sleep.
It's just very deep sleep.
We see Johnny Depp
very open about his drug use,
that I think the other side
was going to try to use against him,
but he knew, he's going to admit to it,
his friends admitted to it,
and they kind of, you know, took
the sting out of it from the other side.
They... Nothing really happened
with it anymore, right?
Once you admit it,
they can't really do anything with it.
There's no movement.
[Rottenborn] This is a picture of you
on a... on a black leather couch,
passed out, correct?
[Depp] Passed out's
an interesting way of putting it.
Maybe "asleep."
That's ice cream on your lap, correct?
[Depp] It is indeed. Uh,
Ms. Heard asked me to hold the ice cream
as she noticed
that I was on a... on the nod,
that means "falling asleep,"
um, from the -hour day that I'd worked,
and also the opiates that I'd ingested,
and that was
a wonderful picture to take for her.
- Sure...
- I don't know why she took it.
[Rottenborn] Well,
so it's Ms. Heard's fault
that that picture was taken.
That's... Is that what you're saying?
She... She snapped it.
Interesting to see
how the jury interpret this information.
Will they interpret it,
as Ms. Heard wants,
as evidence
of Johnny having a "dark side"?
Will they interpret it
as evidence, as Johnny says,
of a girlfriend setting up her partner
to look like a bad guy?
Follow me for more legal TikTok.
[Vasquez] You took this photo,
right, Ms. Heard?
[Heard] That's correct.
So you decided to take a picture
of Mr. Depp asleep on the floor?
[Heard] He was passed out.
[Vasquez] You took this picture as well.
[Heard] Yes.
[Vasquez] This is a picture
of Mr. Depp taking a nap
on his tropical island, on vacation.
We were on vacation, yes.
You also took this picture,
right, Ms. Heard?
[Heard] That's correct.
[Vasquez] And this is another picture
of Mr. Depp asleep in a chair.
[Heard] No, he was, um, nodding off.
Uh, "asleep" is different.
When you're nodding off,
you're high on dr*gs.
He didn't even feel the cigarette
in his hand that had,
you know, been burning on his leg.
Uh, it was cause for alarm for me,
naturally, um, because I cared about him.
[Vasquez] You seem to like
taking pictures of Mr. Depp
while he's sleeping, don't you?
I hated it.
[Vasquez] You decided to take a picture
of Mr. Depp asleep
with ice cream spilled all over him.
This isn't a very flattering picture
of Mr. Depp, is it?
No, it's not.
[Vasquez] You did, in fact,
send this picture
to your friend, Rocky Pennington.
[Heard] Yes, I did.
[Vasquez] And this is you
protecting Mr. Depp?
[Heard] That is me getting support
from my best friend.
[Vasquez] This is you supporting Mr. Depp?
This is me getting support
from my best friend.
I also need support.
- My God, I'm... [sighs]
- I'm so disappointed!
I'm so disappointed in you, Andy.
- I'm so sorry, guys. The truth is there.
- It's so upsetting.
I'm a monster. I must be a monster
because I passed out
on my bed last night,
and Yami took a photo and it's over.
Can you guys friggin' believe
this was put into evidence?
He's taking a freaking nap on vacation!
[laughs] Like, what the f*ck
is this photo?
- There is a money aspect to this too.
- [woman] Yes.
Social media, now influencers,
you... you study this for a living,
I don't have to tell you,
they make money sometimes
for posting content.
How... How is that playing
into this particular moment?
[Signore] Become a member today.
Hit that join button.
You'll be supporting the channel.
We would love if you hit the like button.
It does help us
with the YouTube algorithm gods.
You need to make sure
the next thing you do,
no matter what, is smash the hell
out of that subscribe button.
[melancholic music plays]
You have creators
on platforms like YouTube
who previously were getting
hundreds of views
on videos about anything,
ranging from video games to music to art.
All of a sudden, they're pumping out
videos about this trial.
I'm subscribed to some of you
and it's... it's cool
to... to be on a stream.
Videos that make Johnny Depp look good
and make Amber Heard look bad
because a... those are the only ones
that people want to see,
and they're being able
to make money for the first time ever.
They're getting viral videos
off of this case,
getting millions of views.
Y'all have gotten wild,
and I appreciate you.
This is the road that we're on.
Thank you so much.
It's kinda fun to just watch
the numbers spiral, and I appreciate it.
This is a... This is a wild growth chart.
[anchor] You know, you keep saying,
"It's glorifying Johnny Depp."
- But that is the dominant stream, right?
- Oh, yes.
It's not the other way.
Up until recently,
you really couldn't find any TikToks
in support of Amber Heard.
- [anchor] Wow!
- The entire platform was pro-Johnny Depp.
And I've heard from those creators
themselves that if someone comments
and says that they have a neutral position
or they think
that maybe Amber is a victim,
they immediately get dog-piled, harassed,
abused themselves
in these comment sections,
and no one wants to speak up
in support of Amber Heard.
And as this high-profile trial plays out
in court, social media users
are... are sort of rallying
around Johnny Depp,
as Steve alluded to.
They're... They're looking
for holes in the defense's case,
and they think that they found one.
This is what Amber carried in her purse
for the entire relationship
with Johnny Depp.
This was what she used.
She became very adept
about how she had to mix
the different colors
for the different days
of the bruises to be able to cover those.
So Milani Cosmetics is the company
that is sort of jumping into the fray
in this case.
They said
that their, uh, color correcting compact,
it's a compact that came out in .
It was the same compact
that, uh, defense attorneys used
to say that, uh, Amber Heard
used this specific kit
to cover bruises
she allegedly received from Johnny Depp.
Now, Milani jumped into the fray
by posting a TikTok to say,
"Actually, this kit came out in ."
"Amber Heard filed for divorce
from Johnny Depp in ."
"There's no way that she used
this specific kit
in order to cover alleged bruises."
♪ There's one thing
You can expect from me ♪
♪ And that's the unexpected ♪
♪ I'm an international superspy ♪
♪ Superspy... ♪
[woman] This was just an example
of something that she used,
and this is not the actual compact
that she used,
but many people took the TikTok
that Milani Cosmetics posted,
and said, "Hey, this is definitive proof
that Amber Heard's attorneys are lying."
Amber Heard just got exposed
in another big lie
from her court case with Johnny Depp.
She said that Amber
carried that in her purse
to cover the bruises
through her entire relationship.
Well, that palette didn't come out
until after the divorce.
Meaning this makeup palette did not exist
when they were together! Boom!
And the truth will set you free!
The TikTok has been viewed
more than five million times.
All right, so I'm here
at the Fairfax County Courthouse.
It has caused real-world consequences.
We saw one user
actually go to the courthouse...
[woman] All right,
going to the judges' chambers.
...and seek out, uh,
Johnny Depp's lawyers and attorneys,
and say, "I have evidence for you
that you need to see."
[somber droning music plays]
Some people are actually criticizing
the cosmetics company
for jumping into the fray, saying,
"Hey, you did this for clout."
Like, "There was no reason
for you to jump in here."
I think a lot of people,
uh, are this... as this room,
which is, "I just took Amber Heard's
accusations at face value."
I wanted to believe her.
Like, this makeup kit would suggest
that maybe she's not completely truthful.
People obviously have their opinions.
This is a celebrity case.
Johnny Depp is clearly winning right now
in the court of public opinion.
Amber Heard or Johnny Depp?
[laughing]
- Come on, you gotta answer.
- Johnny Depp.
[Melcher] Do you believe Johnny
or do you believe Amber?
And it's ultimately what this case
can... comes down to.
'Cause they can't both be right.
One is lying.
Who do you believe?
Well, that depends probably
a lot on your biases.
And... And, uh, if you're inclined
to believe Johnny,
you just identify with him,
then everything he says
is gonna be believed,
the negative things
that are brought out on cross
are gonna be discounted and explained,
"Well, maybe he didn't send
that text message."
The drug stuff,
"Sure, that doesn't matter."
See? We minimize, we excuse,
because that's our favored party.
And then, for Amber, it's like,
everything out there negative about her,
it's... we seize on, "of course,"
'cause that validates our belief.
[anchor] We are watching the final stretch
of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp
and their dueling defamation trial
playing out in Virginia.
Amber Heard, she is on the stand,
really pushing back
on the cross-examination.
You're seeing a little bit
of a... a difference
in the way Amber Heard
is answering Camille Vasquez,
and Camille Vasquez
is being extremely aggressive with her.
Let's go back in,
in the moment where we left off.
You spoke about donating
your divorce settlement
on a Danish TV show, correct?
[inhales] Uh, I believe I said I had, um...
I... I believe I said
I donated it to charity.
You appeared on a show
called RTL Late Night, right?
I don't recall what it... what show it was.
If we could please play
Plaintiff's Exhibit ,
which is a portion
of your appearance on this program.
[Danish host] For the divorce settlement,
you got seven million dollars.
People were saying
this is all about the money.
But then you did something
that, uh, twisted that whole argument.
What did you do with that money?
Seven million dollars in total
was donated to...
I split it between the ACLU
and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.
[host] ACLU is
a human rights organization?
Sorry, ACLU is
a prominent, um, uh, organization,
non-profit organization
in the United States.
It's called
the American Civil Liberties Union,
and they work on behalf
of marginalized communities,
uh, on the ground, in legislative reform.
- And...
- Right. Well, more power to you.
Because that's something
I've never heard of.
[Heard] I wanted nothing.
[Vasquez] So,
in this October, interview,
you said that you had,
quote, "donated," end quote,
your entire divorce settlement
to charity, right?
That's correct.
[Vasquez] And in fact,
your exact words were,
quote, "Seven million in total."
"I split it between the ACLU
and the Children's Hospital
of Los Angeles," end quote.
- Right?
- That's correct.
I made that statement
as soon as I got a divorce
and we reached the settlement.
That's when I pledged it, right then.
But you hadn't donated your entitle...
entire seven million dollars settlement
to charity at that point, had you?
That's incorrect.
[Vasquez chuckles]
Sitting here today,
Ms. Heard, you still haven't donated
the seven million dollars
divorce settlement to charity,
isn't that right?
Incorrect. I pledged the entirety...
- [laughs]
- Ms. Heard, that's not my question.
- ...I intend to fulfill those obligations.
- Ms. Heard? Ms. Heard?
That's not my question.
- Please try to answer my question.
- What was your question?
Sitting here today...
It's so awkward.
...you have not donated
the seven million dollars,
"donated," not pledged, donated,
the seven million dollars
divorce settlement to charity.
I use "pledge" and "donation"
synonymous with one another.
- Same thing.
- [Vasquez] But I don't. Ms. Heard?
- I don't use it synonymously.
- [Heard] That's how donations are paid.
[Vasquez] Ms. Heard, respectfully,
that's not my question.
So, as of today,
you have not donated seven million dollars
of your divorce settlement
to charity, right?
I have not been able to fulfill those p...
uh, those, uh, obligations yet.
Amber is literally trying
to convince the jury.
And she keeps looking at the jury.
She is trying to sell this story
that she donated the whole seven million
that she got from her divorce
because she pledged it.
Amber is very articulate.
She's very smart.
Um, but yes, she does look at the jury,
which is a little bit weird,
when she's addressing her comments.
She may be looking at that jury
more than any other witness has
in the past during this trial,
because she wants to keep their attention.
And that's because
you did want something, didn't you?
I didn't want anything
and I didn't get anything.
You wanted Mr. Depp's money.
Didn't get it, wasn't interested in it.
I loved Johnny, that's why I was with him.
- You wanted good press.
- [Heard inhales]
[tense pulsing music plays]
In general, one... [chuckles]
...does want good press, yes.
[Vasquez] You wanted
to seem altruistic publicly.
[inhales deeply] Wasn't my interest.
Uh, my interest is, uh, in my name,
in clearing my name,
and, at the time,
I was being called a liar
and my motives were being questioned.
I did see it as important
to... clear that up.
I wanted to make a statement,
to make sure
that there was n-not any doubt,
that I couldn't be labeled these things
just because Johnny was a bigger star
and had more publicity reach.
You wanted to remind everyone
of your claims of domestic v*olence
against Mr. Depp, right?
No, I wanted to move on with my life.
You wanted
to make those claims seem believable.
They are believable.
- They were believable.
- You wanted them to be seen...
You wanted to be seen,
excuse me, as a noble victim
of domestic v*olence, didn't you?
I have never, never wanted
to be seen as a victim.
- Nor have I ever called myself one.
- [Vasquez] You...
You testified under oath,
that, quote, "The entirety
of your divorce settlement
was donated to charity," end quote.
Didn't you?
That's correct. I pledged the entirety.
[brooding ethereal music plays]
What's the big deal
with Amber Heard and these donations?
"Scamber Turd" exposed herself yet again
and it might have just cost her
the entire trial.
Pinocchio might have to sue her
for identity theft,
these lies are getting out of hand.
You pay donations through pledging them?
No, you pay...
You give donations by giving them money,
not by saying
you're going to give them money.
She doesn't know the difference
between "donate" and "pledge."
[woman] Right.
I think I'm gonna "Amber Heard" it,
you know?
Pledge ten, twelve million dollars
to a great organization.
You know, and since "pledge"
and "donate" is synonymous,
we're all good.
[brooding music intensifies]
He's won already in the court of opinion.
Whatever this jury comes out to, he's won,
and he needed the court process
to extract evidence
and statements from Amber.
And that leaves us to the...
to... to the real question,
which is, what is the actual truth?
Where does that come from?
That's the jury's job.
I wanna know
how they picked the jury for this.
I was thinking about that too.
Like, "This has gotta be..." I mean,
like, I'm assuming
the jury's, like, sequestered away.
- [man] Yeah.
- This is a big...
Sequestered away from where?
Philip, let me start with you.
How important do you think
social media is,
and what's going on out there
in the social media universe,
to this case?
All that really matters
is that you have a jury of seven
who does not go on social media
and is going to assess what went down
based purely on what is presented in court
and not what is, you know, on TikTok
or in Instagram posts or on Facebook, etc.
[Thomas] They've been able
to interact with friends, family,
and so, while they're not supposed
to engage in social media
and know what's going on
in the public sphere,
it's kind of tough to say
that no one on that jury
has been exposed to it whatsoever,
so I do think that's a concern.
And the impact of the crowd
cannot be overlooked
in that courtroom every day.
[Limor] Do you think that the jury
gets it right in most cases?
Do you think that they understand
their responsibility?
Of course, the judge tells them
what they're supposed to do.
You're not to read
anything about this case.
You are not to watch
anything about this case.
You're not to listen to anything
about this case.
This applies to television, newspapers,
magazines, the Internet,
and any online sites. [echoing]
Further, you're not to read, watch,
or listen to anything about this case
on any social networking sites
such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
Snapchat, etc., or any similar sites.
[woman ] The jury
should've been sequestered.
You would hope
that they would not look up anything.
[Limor] It's very, very hard
to be a juror.
I do not envy these jurors at all.
Six weeks being in that courtroom!
Again, it is not fun.
[Darthn ws] Not one of them
had a f*cking clue
that they were walking
into Johnny Depp's f*cking trial.
[woman ] I-I-I think this is fantastic
that this is being broadcasted,
and I think that everything
that's coming together,
this is gonna get bigger and crazier.
"Did he just kick me?"
Mr. Depp calls Kate Moss
to the stand. [echoing]
[woman ] Would be
a detrimental thing to Amber's case.
And there is a real risk
that not only could he lose this case
as the plaintiff,
but Heard has a $ million counterclaim.
This thing could get real bad,
even worse, real fast for Mr. Depp.
[ominous tone plays]
[sweeping classical music plays]
[reporter ] Welcome back.
Johnny Depp's defamation trial
against his ex-wife Amber Heard
is playing out in real time
on television and on social media,
where millions are poring over
shocking details and taking sides.
[crowd cheering]
[police sirens wail]
[reporter ] Amber, how you feeling?
My video about this pod episode
is at almost , views,
and I just posted it yesterday.
[dialogue echoes]
[woman] It has many facets
that we have to look at,
including fame,
the Me Too movement, cancel culture.
It is just a, uh...
sort of a perfect storm, if you will.
[reporter ] Number one over Elon Musk.
More than four times Joe Biden.
ab*rtion opinion,
more than five times greater.
The Ukraine w*r,
more than six times greater.
This story is the biggest story
online in the nation.
[reporter ] News anchors lined up
outside the courthouse.
Numerous cameras inside the courtroom
live-streaming every minute.
Uh, take us for a little tour of our...
I think we have video of our mobile setup.
[female anchor] We actually have heating
and air conditioning sometimes in here.
[fans cheering]
[reporter ] People are live-tweeting,
people are live-streaming.
What does it all mean? Where does it end?
It's been, uh, you know,
a social media circus
of commentary from creators
and influencers and, uh... and laypeople.
I think that the truth was lost
on social media, uh, quite some time ago.
Well, there are new concerns
about the spread
of misinformation on TikTok.
According to researchers,
American users spend three times
as much time on TikTok than on Twitter.
Explain for us more about the app's design
and why it is particularly problematic.
You have a platform
that uses short videos.
It has a powerful and very mysterious
recommendation algorithm.
You've got a billion users
that are constantly filtering
through a very fast-moving feed.
Videos can be very easily manipulated
and republished.
I was walking out of the bedroom,
slapped me across the face,
and I said, "Johnny, you hit me."
You just hit me. Hit me.
[woman] There are parody videos
that often get mistaken as fact.
[woman] People are obsessed
with this case. On TikTok,
people could really broadcast
their theories.
[Heard] I was sitting there
on this carpet.
[woman] Especially when the case
is live in court
and you have all this footage.
You could show them authentically
what is going on.
What are people posting?
...talked about Australia.
I think this might decide the case,
because this is where the parties
are alleging the most significant dispute,
and they're in such contradiction,
that the jury can only think
one of them is true.
I think they're going to come
to the conclusion
that one of them is lying about Australia.
Let's take a look
about what they said happened.
I was... I was working
on Pirates of the Caribbean five.
[Vasquez] Mr. Depp,
was Ms. Heard in Australia with you?
She came a little later, yes.
[Vasquez] And what happened
when Ms. Heard
came to visit you in Australia?
[dramatic music playing]
Um...
[David Letterman] Thank you very much.
Johnny Depp's here.
I haven't seen it, but I know it
ahead of time, and now I see it,
that you're wea... wearing a, uh... a...
you have an engagement ring.
I do, I have a female engagement ring...
- Yeah.
- ...on my finger.
[Letterman] But you...
you, uh, uh, you're getting married.
- Well, it's... uh, yeah. Uh, yeah.
- Yeah.
But it's... it's not typical for a m-man
to wear an engagement ring, is it?
No.
- [audience laughs]
- Uh...
- It was too big for my girl, so, uh...
- [laughs] Is it?
So the woman you're, uh...
Who's been on the show, by the way.
- Amber, yeah. Yeah.
- Oh, lovely.
[paparazzi] Amber!
[woman] Amber, look to your left!
[man] Amber. Big smile, Amber!
[melancholic music plays]
[Depp] I had proposed to Ms. Heard
a couple of years before, I believe,
so we talked occasionally
about when would be
the right time between schedules
so that we could actually have
a wedding and a honeymoon,
and... and then go on
to do the work in Australia.
[fans cheering]
I was marrying the love of my life.
[voice breaking] It was complicated,
but he was the love of my life.
[announcer over PA] Ladies and gentlemen,
Johnny Depp!
[crowd cheering]
[Depp] We all left for the island for the...
well, the dream wedding, I guess.
[camera clicks]
[Heard] We walked down the beach aisle,
said our vows,
and shot the bird,
meaning the middle finger,
up at the paparazzi
while we were on the altar.
[chuckles sadly]
And we danced and celebrated.
And then I left the island
'cause I had to go work.
[man] Amber! Straight ahead please.
[reporter] Amber Heard is years younger
and was building a career
and name recognition within Hollywood,
but she was certainly nowhere
near the star that Johnny Depp was.
- [man] Hi, we're here with Amber Heard.
- Hi.
[man] Explain quickly your character.
I play a young girl who's caught up
in the fast-paced, decadent,
s lifestyle of Los Angeles,
and, uh, sh... and her, um...
She's a beautiful woman
who ultimately, um...
Ultimately, that beauty causes her demise
and the demise
of other characters around her.
And it was an interesting part.
I took the bus around L.A.
It was before smartphones.
I had a... a Thomas Guide
and a change of t*nk tops,
and I just hustled
from one audition to the other.
- [man ] Right here, Amber.
- [man ] Amber, right here.
It's been a slow progression,
I guess, since then,
you know, of doing
either tiny bit parts in bigger movies
or doing larger roles
in movies that no one would see,
and I guess, you know,
it still is kind of like that.
[lawyer] When you say you left the island,
you had to go to work,
what... what were you working on?
[man] And three, two...
[Heard] I was filming
The Danish Girl in London.
I was there doing,
kind of, prep work for that film.
[Depp] I was going off to Australia.
- [man exclaims]
- [body thuds]
Gentlemen!
[Heard] The plan was always
for me to wrap on my movie
and then come and join him in Australia
where he was filming Pirates five.
[lawyer] Okay,
and when approximately was that?
That was March rd.
[Andy Signore] Guys, I am shocked
at the massive amounts of love and support
that you guys
have been showing this channel,
and specifically our coverage
of the Justice for Johnny Depp movement.
Welcome back to another episode
of Darthn ws special edition,
"Everybody Loves Johnny."
[audio distorts] Actually, scratch that.
[normally] "Everybody Hates Amber."
[woman] You have creators
on platforms like YouTube.
All of a sudden,
they're pumping out
videos about this trial.
[Signore] If you haven't, do me a favor,
hit the subscribe button,
hit the bell for alerts.
I think everybody's waiting
to see the evidence. That's what I...
[Shady Jay] For those of you
who don't know, Super Chats is a way,
on YouTube, for people watching
someone streaming to donate.
[man] Loww, thank you for the gift,
giving me subs. I appreciate that.
Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.
[Shady Jay] It allows their comment to go
to the top. It kinda highlights
that... that person and their donation.
[woman] Hey, there. If we haven't met yet,
I'm Emily D. Baker, the badass lawyer,
and everyone's favorite legal commentator.
I break down the legal shit
behind the news and pop culture stories
we all wanna talk about.
- We are here to call to order...
- [bangs gavel]
...the case of Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard.
Today, we are watching
through live testimony
of what happened in Australia.
[brooding ethereal music plays]
[lawyer] Now, I'm going to ask you
to take this jury through what happened
once you arrived there.
[Heard] Um, I flew in. I arrived early.
Uh, I... Immediately,
I walked into the bedroom.
I was so excited to... to see him.
I was looking forward to having
this, kind of, you know,
"our style" at-home date. You know,
a new... we're a new married couple.
We hadn't seen each other
for basically a month...
[inhales sharply]...after getting married.
And I start dinner
and am happy to see him,
and some point early in that evening,
he pulls out a bag of MDMA.
I asked him what it was,
and he told me it was MDMA.
And I was surprised because, at the time,
he had already gotten clean and sober.
It was for the wedding.
So I was surprised
that he would even pull out this bag,
and he kinda seemed to suggest
that we should do it together,
and I was like, "Absolutely not."
Like, "I just got here. I just got here!"
"I wanna see you,
I wanna spend time with you."
Ms. Heard was upset because,
as it was too late
for a pre-nup agreement,
there... there was, uh, discussion
of post-nup agreement.
She could not let go of the fact
that I was in
on this, uh, post-nup agreement
and that I was trying to trick her
into, uh, essentially getting nothing
if, uh...
if something were to happen.
She's telling me, "You don't trust me,
you don't trust me, you don't trust me."
And, um, all I could do
was... try to calm her down.
- That...
- [Vasquez] Did that work?
[Depp] It did not work, no.
It escalated and escalated,
and t-turned into, uh...
madness, chaos.
- [Vasquez] Can you please...
- v*olence.
[Vasquez] Can you please describe
that chaos and v*olence?
[Depp yelling]
[Rottenborn] Why were you
at the house that Sunday?
I was called to the house
by one of Mr. Depp's assistants.
[Rottenborn] And did you observe anything
when you went into the house?
Yeah, I mean, initially,
I heard pretty hysterical sobbing, crying,
which sounded like Ms. Heard to me.
Just crying uncontrollably,
I think it's fair to say.
There was a bit of damage down the steps.
A big chunk had been taken
out of the marble staircase.
Walking down into the bar,
I could see the damage,
a broken ping-pong table,
sort of collapsed onto the floor,
lots of glass and cans
strewn around the bar area.
Apparently, Hulk came through.
Broken glass is
consistent with his version.
[Rottenborn] Who was there
when you arrived?
Um, Debbie Lloyd was there.
[Rottenborn] Eleven-thirty, you wrote,
"MD received a text message from client
that he'd been arguing with wife
and that he had cut his finger."
"According to patient,
his assistant and security
were on their way to pick him up."
You wrote that?
According to my notes, yes.
David Kipper was there.
I went in to instruct
one of the people with him
to look for the tip of the finger,
hoping that we would be able
to put it back.
[King] It was pretty extensive,
all that broken glass, the blood.
There were a lot of blood drips
across that floor.
It's a kind of cream-colored tiled floor.
On the next floor, on the main floor,
there's a sitting room with a couch on...
a cream-colored couch,
which had a fair amount
of blood drips on the cushions,
and we'd set up an art studio,
so a lot of the art materials from that,
you know, paintbrushes, paint,
a lot of paint on the floor.
Going into the master bathroom,
there was a his-and-hers sinks
and a mirror, a large mirror,
above each of the sinks
that had writing on each of them.
Both of the bedrooms,
I think, had blood on the duvet covers.
That's about the extent of it.
Oh, is that all?
[Rottenborn] Uh, whose job was it
to clean all that up?
It was mine. [laughs] It was mine.
Well, I'll... I'll just cut to the chase.
I... I think that I ended up locking myself
in about, at lea... at least nine
bedrooms, bathrooms that day,
um, as she was banging on the doors
and screaming obscenities
and wanting
to, uh, have a physical altercation.
[Vasquez] So how did it come to be
that your finger became injured?
I left the... place,
the... the room that I was hiding in,
or not hiding, locked myself into.
[tense music plays]
And I went downstairs,
and there was a, uh, bar,
so I grabbed
a bottle of vodka that was there,
and a shot glass,
and sat at the bar.
She was nowhere around.
Poured myself two or three stiff sh*ts
of, uh... of the vodka,
first taste of alcohol
I'd had in a long time.
And, um...
then she came down
to the bar and found me there,
and of course started screaming,
"Oh, you're drinking again!"
"Ah, the monster," and all that. Um...
You can see how he feels about that.
Um, he holds up this bottle,
and kind of gesturing
with the... the bottle towards me,
and, uh, I reach for it,
and he'd revoke it,
kind of laugh at me.
[sighs] And he's holding out the bottle.
I think, maybe the third time or so,
I get a hold of it.
I pick it up
and I slam it down on the ground,
right in between us,
and I smashed the bottle on the floor,
and that really set him off.
She grabbed the... the bottle of vodka...
and then just, uh, kind of stood back
and then...
hurled it at me.
Takes the second bottle,
which was the larger one,
she threw the large bottle,
and it made contact
and shattered, uh, everywhere,
and then I realized
that the... the tip of my finger, uh,
had been severed.
[Vasquez] What is
this a picture of, Mr. Depp?
The remains of my finger.
I-I-I honestly don't remember
if I, um, threw anything in his direction.
I... I don't think I did.
Um, I just remember
him having me by the nightgown.
Um, I remember him flailing me,
uh, throwing me around.
I'm flailing, um...
I remember at one point,
he's teasing me, he... taunting me,
that I... he has my, um...
my breast in his hand.
Um, my nightgown came completely off.
It was ripped off of me.
So... [voice breaks] I was naked,
and I'm slipping around on this tile,
and...
at... [gasps]
at some point,
he's on top of... of... of... of me.
I'm on the countertop,
he had me by the neck,
and I'm looking at h... in his eyes.
[sobs] And I don't see him anymore.
I don't see him anymore.
It wasn't him. It was black.
I've never been... so scared in my life.
It was... It was black. I couldn't see him.
And... [sobs]...my head was bashing
against the back of the bar,
and I couldn't breathe.
Um, this is a lot.
And I remember trying to get up,
and I was slipping on the glass.
My feet were slipping,
my arms were slipping on the countertop.
And I remember just trying
to get up so I could breathe,
so I could tell him
that he was really hurting me.
I didn't think he knew what he was doing.
[somber music plays]
[Heard] I don't know how.
[breath trembling]
I'm sorry.
[sobbing]
I'm sorry.
I couldn't breathe.
Please.
I don't... [breath catches]
[sobs] I don't wanna do this.
I don't wanna do this.
[sobs]
Amber Heard has said on the stand
she doesn't have a clear recollection
of how things unfolded,
but she has alleged
that he sexually assaulted her
with a bottle.
There were a couple of points
in the trial that,
uh, should have never
come out so publicly.
It is so hard to assess the credibility
of either Johnny Depp
or Amber Heard for one simple reason,
they're both actors.
They're good at getting people to feel
the way that they want them to feel.
Welcome to Popcorned Planet,
I'm Andy Signore, and I'm not gonna lie,
today was rough.
I'm feeling bad
for all the survivors out there
that just watched this performance
'cause I'm not buying it,
and I've gotten so many messages
from so many of you
who have been through similar experiences,
and you're not buying it either.
[Heard] Like, he was on top of me,
and I'm loo... I...
I'm looking at h... in his eyes,
and I don't see him anymore.
I don't see him anymore.
Ligature marks and finger marks bruising
is very, very common.
And I'm sorry
that that was your experience,
but thank you for sharing
your experience with the chat.
So they're like, "Look,
these are the things
we find, uh, confusing."
"Amber Heard is a psychopath"
is currently trending on Twitter,
so, uh... [laughs]
If you are mentally and physically abused,
like, a person of domestic v*olence,
male or female,
would you be able to go to court,
get on the stand,
and be a lairy, smarmy b*tch?
Has anyone seen Gone Girl?
[Amy Dunne] Wait for your clueless husband
to start his day.
Meticulously stage your crime scene.
[sobbing] It's fake. It is so fake!
Like, how could you make such a mockery
of the victims like she's doing?
Sexual penetration
with an object is really severe,
and unlike the rest
of what she says about Johnny Depp,
almost requires
some sort of sadistic nature,
so I think Australia,
his story's more believable.
This has moved away
from, like, a news story or a lawsuit,
and it's... it's... it's transformed
into a cultural moment.
And I wasn't old enough to experience
the impact of the O.J. Simpson trial,
but if I had to guess,
the hold, the chokehold
that this lawsuit has on the world...
- [man] It's up there, yeah.
- ...it's comparable.
And also the ways in which information
and news are spread
is very different today
than it was before.
- O.J. TikTok would have been...
- [hosts laugh]
- [Gorjian] Oh, my God.
- ...wild.
[man] Truly wild.
- [Gorjian] Truly wild.
- Yeah.
[news anchor] Social media is clearly
playing a role in this case.
I cannot tell you how much time I spend
dealing with folks on social media.
And I tell you what,
the Johnny Depp folks are fanatics.
[Vasquez] And while working for TMZ,
were you involved
in any assignments related to Ms. Heard?
I was.
On the th, we received a video,
um, depicting, um, Johnny Depp,
um, s-slamming some cabinets
that was captured by Ms. Heard.
[Vasquez] How does that video
that was played in this trial
compare to the one
you received on August , ?
It was much shorter
than the video we had recei...
uh, than the video
that's been played in this trial.
There was some... a bit
at the beginning that was played here,
which Ms. Heard is, um, seemingly,
sort of, setting up the camera
and getting into position,
and then there's a bit at the end
where she's seemingly sniggering
and looks at the camera.
That part was not present
in what we received.
[Vasquez] Did TMZ edit the video?
No, not even a little.
- Nothing further, Your Honor.
- [Azcarate] Cross-examination?
Yes. Uh, so, you know this case
is being televised, right?
I... I am aware that there are cameras.
And so this gets you
your minutes of fame.
[Vasquez] Objection, Your Honor.
Argumentative.
- I... I can ask that question.
- [Azcarate] Overruled.
Um...
...and I'm not seeking any minutes here.
Though you may...
you're welcome to speculate.
I could say the same thing,
by taking Amber Heard as a client,
for you.
[funky instrumental
gangster rap music plays]
[woman] The issue when you go in court
and when you have to testify
and when there's evidence brought,
it's really... it's quite literally airing
your dirty laundry.
That's why celebrities
always settle cases.
You never want to go into court
for that very reason.
Could they not have
figured this out privately? Um...
I think... And we've talked
about this before on the show.
I think that making it, um, accessible
to the public was a strategy,
I think, probably brought
to the table by Johnny's team.
[man on recording] This podcast
is for entertainment purposes only.
With this Depp/Heard trial,
the engagement is phenomenal.
I mean, it's just so cool
to see everyone get involved
and wanna know about the legal process
and the laws that are involved.
But that's... The thing is about justice
is that it's not about the truth,
it's not about right or wrong.
Unfortunately,
it's about
what the judge or jury believes,
and that's...
And on the information that's presented.
And that's why trials are theater.
It's not nec... It's supposed to be
this search for the truth,
but it's really about us orchestrating
what witnesses we're gonna bring in,
the order of proof
that we're gonna present this story,
and how we're gonna do it,
what we're gonna keep in,
what we're gonna keep out.
[male host] This is Law Disrupted,
and today we have the privilege
of speaking with Camille Vasquez.
[Vasquez] Johnny's testimony
was a... a key point for us.
It was the first time that the world,
really the jury, right, in... in this case,
the jury got to hear from him
in his own words.
We needed to give him
the opportunity to speak and speak freely.
We introduced the jury to Johnny Depp
and who the real Johnny Depp was.
So, we introduced the jury to his sister,
who was able to give a background
about who the little boy was...
[chuckles]...before he became Johnny Depp,
and who the man is now.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
All right, your first witness.
[Chew] Miss Dembrowski,
would you please tell the jurors
what your relationship
with Johnny was like
when you were growing up?
[chuckles] Um...
Johnny and I were very close. Uh...
We were just friends.
We were like best friends.
[Chew] Miss Dembrowski,
how would you describe
your parents' relationship?
That was complicated.
Um, I had a very...
[chuckling]...interesting childhood,
um, one that I thought
was normal until a certain age.
[Vasquez] Could you please tell them
about your history of substance use?
At about the age of, I don't know,
f-four, five years old,
I... I can remember vividly my... my mom
telling me to go get her nerve pills,
you know, um,
out of her purse
that was hanging on the back of the door.
[ethereal music plays]
So I'd go get
the nerve pills and I'd take it,
and, um, you know, after a few years,
you start to notice...
well, you start to think
about "nerve pills."
"Nerve pill." [chuckles]
And then she seemed to calm down
after she took those "nerve pills."
So, when I was years old,
um,
I wanted to calm down.
I'd bring my mom her nerve pill,
I would walk away... [clicks tongue]
...and I would take one myself,
um...
to escape the... the chaotic... nature
of... of what w...
of what we were living, uh, through.
My mother was...
quite unpredictable,
and she was quite violent,
and the physical pain,
y-you learn to deal with,
you learn to accept it,
but the, uh, psychological
and emotional abuse,
that's what, uh...
that's what kind of tore us up, I think.
[Vasquez] Mr. Depp, is there any substance
you've ever been addicted to?
- [Depp] Yes.
- [Vasquez] And... And what is that?
Um...
Roxicodone.
So far, everybody's just making
these speculations
based off of whatever they're reading.
We haven't heard it
out of the horse's mouth until now.
And now that we have,
or started to hear about these things...
it only makes him seem
like a more honest human being,
a more likable person.
[Depp] The pills that I was addicted to,
the... the Roxicodone,
which are very, very powerful opiates,
two of those
would knock me out.
You go on what's called "the nod,"
and then it takes you away into sleep.
It's just very deep sleep.
We see Johnny Depp
very open about his drug use,
that I think the other side
was going to try to use against him,
but he knew, he's going to admit to it,
his friends admitted to it,
and they kind of, you know, took
the sting out of it from the other side.
They... Nothing really happened
with it anymore, right?
Once you admit it,
they can't really do anything with it.
There's no movement.
[Rottenborn] This is a picture of you
on a... on a black leather couch,
passed out, correct?
[Depp] Passed out's
an interesting way of putting it.
Maybe "asleep."
That's ice cream on your lap, correct?
[Depp] It is indeed. Uh,
Ms. Heard asked me to hold the ice cream
as she noticed
that I was on a... on the nod,
that means "falling asleep,"
um, from the -hour day that I'd worked,
and also the opiates that I'd ingested,
and that was
a wonderful picture to take for her.
- Sure...
- I don't know why she took it.
[Rottenborn] Well,
so it's Ms. Heard's fault
that that picture was taken.
That's... Is that what you're saying?
She... She snapped it.
Interesting to see
how the jury interpret this information.
Will they interpret it,
as Ms. Heard wants,
as evidence
of Johnny having a "dark side"?
Will they interpret it
as evidence, as Johnny says,
of a girlfriend setting up her partner
to look like a bad guy?
Follow me for more legal TikTok.
[Vasquez] You took this photo,
right, Ms. Heard?
[Heard] That's correct.
So you decided to take a picture
of Mr. Depp asleep on the floor?
[Heard] He was passed out.
[Vasquez] You took this picture as well.
[Heard] Yes.
[Vasquez] This is a picture
of Mr. Depp taking a nap
on his tropical island, on vacation.
We were on vacation, yes.
You also took this picture,
right, Ms. Heard?
[Heard] That's correct.
[Vasquez] And this is another picture
of Mr. Depp asleep in a chair.
[Heard] No, he was, um, nodding off.
Uh, "asleep" is different.
When you're nodding off,
you're high on dr*gs.
He didn't even feel the cigarette
in his hand that had,
you know, been burning on his leg.
Uh, it was cause for alarm for me,
naturally, um, because I cared about him.
[Vasquez] You seem to like
taking pictures of Mr. Depp
while he's sleeping, don't you?
I hated it.
[Vasquez] You decided to take a picture
of Mr. Depp asleep
with ice cream spilled all over him.
This isn't a very flattering picture
of Mr. Depp, is it?
No, it's not.
[Vasquez] You did, in fact,
send this picture
to your friend, Rocky Pennington.
[Heard] Yes, I did.
[Vasquez] And this is you
protecting Mr. Depp?
[Heard] That is me getting support
from my best friend.
[Vasquez] This is you supporting Mr. Depp?
This is me getting support
from my best friend.
I also need support.
- My God, I'm... [sighs]
- I'm so disappointed!
I'm so disappointed in you, Andy.
- I'm so sorry, guys. The truth is there.
- It's so upsetting.
I'm a monster. I must be a monster
because I passed out
on my bed last night,
and Yami took a photo and it's over.
Can you guys friggin' believe
this was put into evidence?
He's taking a freaking nap on vacation!
[laughs] Like, what the f*ck
is this photo?
- There is a money aspect to this too.
- [woman] Yes.
Social media, now influencers,
you... you study this for a living,
I don't have to tell you,
they make money sometimes
for posting content.
How... How is that playing
into this particular moment?
[Signore] Become a member today.
Hit that join button.
You'll be supporting the channel.
We would love if you hit the like button.
It does help us
with the YouTube algorithm gods.
You need to make sure
the next thing you do,
no matter what, is smash the hell
out of that subscribe button.
[melancholic music plays]
You have creators
on platforms like YouTube
who previously were getting
hundreds of views
on videos about anything,
ranging from video games to music to art.
All of a sudden, they're pumping out
videos about this trial.
I'm subscribed to some of you
and it's... it's cool
to... to be on a stream.
Videos that make Johnny Depp look good
and make Amber Heard look bad
because a... those are the only ones
that people want to see,
and they're being able
to make money for the first time ever.
They're getting viral videos
off of this case,
getting millions of views.
Y'all have gotten wild,
and I appreciate you.
This is the road that we're on.
Thank you so much.
It's kinda fun to just watch
the numbers spiral, and I appreciate it.
This is a... This is a wild growth chart.
[anchor] You know, you keep saying,
"It's glorifying Johnny Depp."
- But that is the dominant stream, right?
- Oh, yes.
It's not the other way.
Up until recently,
you really couldn't find any TikToks
in support of Amber Heard.
- [anchor] Wow!
- The entire platform was pro-Johnny Depp.
And I've heard from those creators
themselves that if someone comments
and says that they have a neutral position
or they think
that maybe Amber is a victim,
they immediately get dog-piled, harassed,
abused themselves
in these comment sections,
and no one wants to speak up
in support of Amber Heard.
And as this high-profile trial plays out
in court, social media users
are... are sort of rallying
around Johnny Depp,
as Steve alluded to.
They're... They're looking
for holes in the defense's case,
and they think that they found one.
This is what Amber carried in her purse
for the entire relationship
with Johnny Depp.
This was what she used.
She became very adept
about how she had to mix
the different colors
for the different days
of the bruises to be able to cover those.
So Milani Cosmetics is the company
that is sort of jumping into the fray
in this case.
They said
that their, uh, color correcting compact,
it's a compact that came out in .
It was the same compact
that, uh, defense attorneys used
to say that, uh, Amber Heard
used this specific kit
to cover bruises
she allegedly received from Johnny Depp.
Now, Milani jumped into the fray
by posting a TikTok to say,
"Actually, this kit came out in ."
"Amber Heard filed for divorce
from Johnny Depp in ."
"There's no way that she used
this specific kit
in order to cover alleged bruises."
♪ There's one thing
You can expect from me ♪
♪ And that's the unexpected ♪
♪ I'm an international superspy ♪
♪ Superspy... ♪
[woman] This was just an example
of something that she used,
and this is not the actual compact
that she used,
but many people took the TikTok
that Milani Cosmetics posted,
and said, "Hey, this is definitive proof
that Amber Heard's attorneys are lying."
Amber Heard just got exposed
in another big lie
from her court case with Johnny Depp.
She said that Amber
carried that in her purse
to cover the bruises
through her entire relationship.
Well, that palette didn't come out
until after the divorce.
Meaning this makeup palette did not exist
when they were together! Boom!
And the truth will set you free!
The TikTok has been viewed
more than five million times.
All right, so I'm here
at the Fairfax County Courthouse.
It has caused real-world consequences.
We saw one user
actually go to the courthouse...
[woman] All right,
going to the judges' chambers.
...and seek out, uh,
Johnny Depp's lawyers and attorneys,
and say, "I have evidence for you
that you need to see."
[somber droning music plays]
Some people are actually criticizing
the cosmetics company
for jumping into the fray, saying,
"Hey, you did this for clout."
Like, "There was no reason
for you to jump in here."
I think a lot of people,
uh, are this... as this room,
which is, "I just took Amber Heard's
accusations at face value."
I wanted to believe her.
Like, this makeup kit would suggest
that maybe she's not completely truthful.
People obviously have their opinions.
This is a celebrity case.
Johnny Depp is clearly winning right now
in the court of public opinion.
Amber Heard or Johnny Depp?
[laughing]
- Come on, you gotta answer.
- Johnny Depp.
[Melcher] Do you believe Johnny
or do you believe Amber?
And it's ultimately what this case
can... comes down to.
'Cause they can't both be right.
One is lying.
Who do you believe?
Well, that depends probably
a lot on your biases.
And... And, uh, if you're inclined
to believe Johnny,
you just identify with him,
then everything he says
is gonna be believed,
the negative things
that are brought out on cross
are gonna be discounted and explained,
"Well, maybe he didn't send
that text message."
The drug stuff,
"Sure, that doesn't matter."
See? We minimize, we excuse,
because that's our favored party.
And then, for Amber, it's like,
everything out there negative about her,
it's... we seize on, "of course,"
'cause that validates our belief.
[anchor] We are watching the final stretch
of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp
and their dueling defamation trial
playing out in Virginia.
Amber Heard, she is on the stand,
really pushing back
on the cross-examination.
You're seeing a little bit
of a... a difference
in the way Amber Heard
is answering Camille Vasquez,
and Camille Vasquez
is being extremely aggressive with her.
Let's go back in,
in the moment where we left off.
You spoke about donating
your divorce settlement
on a Danish TV show, correct?
[inhales] Uh, I believe I said I had, um...
I... I believe I said
I donated it to charity.
You appeared on a show
called RTL Late Night, right?
I don't recall what it... what show it was.
If we could please play
Plaintiff's Exhibit ,
which is a portion
of your appearance on this program.
[Danish host] For the divorce settlement,
you got seven million dollars.
People were saying
this is all about the money.
But then you did something
that, uh, twisted that whole argument.
What did you do with that money?
Seven million dollars in total
was donated to...
I split it between the ACLU
and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.
[host] ACLU is
a human rights organization?
Sorry, ACLU is
a prominent, um, uh, organization,
non-profit organization
in the United States.
It's called
the American Civil Liberties Union,
and they work on behalf
of marginalized communities,
uh, on the ground, in legislative reform.
- And...
- Right. Well, more power to you.
Because that's something
I've never heard of.
[Heard] I wanted nothing.
[Vasquez] So,
in this October, interview,
you said that you had,
quote, "donated," end quote,
your entire divorce settlement
to charity, right?
That's correct.
[Vasquez] And in fact,
your exact words were,
quote, "Seven million in total."
"I split it between the ACLU
and the Children's Hospital
of Los Angeles," end quote.
- Right?
- That's correct.
I made that statement
as soon as I got a divorce
and we reached the settlement.
That's when I pledged it, right then.
But you hadn't donated your entitle...
entire seven million dollars settlement
to charity at that point, had you?
That's incorrect.
[Vasquez chuckles]
Sitting here today,
Ms. Heard, you still haven't donated
the seven million dollars
divorce settlement to charity,
isn't that right?
Incorrect. I pledged the entirety...
- [laughs]
- Ms. Heard, that's not my question.
- ...I intend to fulfill those obligations.
- Ms. Heard? Ms. Heard?
That's not my question.
- Please try to answer my question.
- What was your question?
Sitting here today...
It's so awkward.
...you have not donated
the seven million dollars,
"donated," not pledged, donated,
the seven million dollars
divorce settlement to charity.
I use "pledge" and "donation"
synonymous with one another.
- Same thing.
- [Vasquez] But I don't. Ms. Heard?
- I don't use it synonymously.
- [Heard] That's how donations are paid.
[Vasquez] Ms. Heard, respectfully,
that's not my question.
So, as of today,
you have not donated seven million dollars
of your divorce settlement
to charity, right?
I have not been able to fulfill those p...
uh, those, uh, obligations yet.
Amber is literally trying
to convince the jury.
And she keeps looking at the jury.
She is trying to sell this story
that she donated the whole seven million
that she got from her divorce
because she pledged it.
Amber is very articulate.
She's very smart.
Um, but yes, she does look at the jury,
which is a little bit weird,
when she's addressing her comments.
She may be looking at that jury
more than any other witness has
in the past during this trial,
because she wants to keep their attention.
And that's because
you did want something, didn't you?
I didn't want anything
and I didn't get anything.
You wanted Mr. Depp's money.
Didn't get it, wasn't interested in it.
I loved Johnny, that's why I was with him.
- You wanted good press.
- [Heard inhales]
[tense pulsing music plays]
In general, one... [chuckles]
...does want good press, yes.
[Vasquez] You wanted
to seem altruistic publicly.
[inhales deeply] Wasn't my interest.
Uh, my interest is, uh, in my name,
in clearing my name,
and, at the time,
I was being called a liar
and my motives were being questioned.
I did see it as important
to... clear that up.
I wanted to make a statement,
to make sure
that there was n-not any doubt,
that I couldn't be labeled these things
just because Johnny was a bigger star
and had more publicity reach.
You wanted to remind everyone
of your claims of domestic v*olence
against Mr. Depp, right?
No, I wanted to move on with my life.
You wanted
to make those claims seem believable.
They are believable.
- They were believable.
- You wanted them to be seen...
You wanted to be seen,
excuse me, as a noble victim
of domestic v*olence, didn't you?
I have never, never wanted
to be seen as a victim.
- Nor have I ever called myself one.
- [Vasquez] You...
You testified under oath,
that, quote, "The entirety
of your divorce settlement
was donated to charity," end quote.
Didn't you?
That's correct. I pledged the entirety.
[brooding ethereal music plays]
What's the big deal
with Amber Heard and these donations?
"Scamber Turd" exposed herself yet again
and it might have just cost her
the entire trial.
Pinocchio might have to sue her
for identity theft,
these lies are getting out of hand.
You pay donations through pledging them?
No, you pay...
You give donations by giving them money,
not by saying
you're going to give them money.
She doesn't know the difference
between "donate" and "pledge."
[woman] Right.
I think I'm gonna "Amber Heard" it,
you know?
Pledge ten, twelve million dollars
to a great organization.
You know, and since "pledge"
and "donate" is synonymous,
we're all good.
[brooding music intensifies]
He's won already in the court of opinion.
Whatever this jury comes out to, he's won,
and he needed the court process
to extract evidence
and statements from Amber.
And that leaves us to the...
to... to the real question,
which is, what is the actual truth?
Where does that come from?
That's the jury's job.
I wanna know
how they picked the jury for this.
I was thinking about that too.
Like, "This has gotta be..." I mean,
like, I'm assuming
the jury's, like, sequestered away.
- [man] Yeah.
- This is a big...
Sequestered away from where?
Philip, let me start with you.
How important do you think
social media is,
and what's going on out there
in the social media universe,
to this case?
All that really matters
is that you have a jury of seven
who does not go on social media
and is going to assess what went down
based purely on what is presented in court
and not what is, you know, on TikTok
or in Instagram posts or on Facebook, etc.
[Thomas] They've been able
to interact with friends, family,
and so, while they're not supposed
to engage in social media
and know what's going on
in the public sphere,
it's kind of tough to say
that no one on that jury
has been exposed to it whatsoever,
so I do think that's a concern.
And the impact of the crowd
cannot be overlooked
in that courtroom every day.
[Limor] Do you think that the jury
gets it right in most cases?
Do you think that they understand
their responsibility?
Of course, the judge tells them
what they're supposed to do.
You're not to read
anything about this case.
You are not to watch
anything about this case.
You're not to listen to anything
about this case.
This applies to television, newspapers,
magazines, the Internet,
and any online sites. [echoing]
Further, you're not to read, watch,
or listen to anything about this case
on any social networking sites
such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
Snapchat, etc., or any similar sites.
[woman ] The jury
should've been sequestered.
You would hope
that they would not look up anything.
[Limor] It's very, very hard
to be a juror.
I do not envy these jurors at all.
Six weeks being in that courtroom!
Again, it is not fun.
[Darthn ws] Not one of them
had a f*cking clue
that they were walking
into Johnny Depp's f*cking trial.
[woman ] I-I-I think this is fantastic
that this is being broadcasted,
and I think that everything
that's coming together,
this is gonna get bigger and crazier.
"Did he just kick me?"
Mr. Depp calls Kate Moss
to the stand. [echoing]
[woman ] Would be
a detrimental thing to Amber's case.
And there is a real risk
that not only could he lose this case
as the plaintiff,
but Heard has a $ million counterclaim.
This thing could get real bad,
even worse, real fast for Mr. Depp.
[ominous tone plays]
[sweeping classical music plays]