Earlier this month, a seven-person jury reached the verdict that Amer Heard defamed her ex-husband Johnny Depp in her 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post, wherein she spoke about being a victim of sexual violence. The case, which began on April 11th, was a media frenzy with millions watching every minute via a live stream and fans of Depp’s supporting the actor outside the courtroom daily.
In an upcoming interview, Heard will be addressing the legal battle publicly for the first time since she released a statement to Instagram calling the verdict a “setback” for women.
The actress sat down with journalist Savannah Guthrie for the conversation, some of which appeared on NBC News’ Today with more unreleased content coming on a special Dateline Friday.
During the interview, Heard spoke about how the social media frenzy — or trial by social media — impacted the case, saying there is no way anyone can say there has been “fair representation.”
“I don’t care what one thinks about me, or what judgment you want to make about what happened in the privacy in my own home in my marriage, behind closed doors,” she said. “I don’t presume the average person should know these things, so I don’t take it personally.”
.@savannahguthrie sat down for an exclusive conversation with #AmberHeard. "You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair,” Heard shared, in reference to social media representation. pic.twitter.com/56Ju7pYg1x
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 13, 2022
Heard continued, “But even somebody who is sure I am deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I am lying, you still couldn’t look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation. You can not tell me that you think this has been fair.”
In another clip that’s been shared online, Heard said she doesn’t blame the jury for the verdict. Guthrie said, “The jury looked at the evidence you presented, they listened to your testimony and they did not believe you, they thought you were lying.” To which Heard responded, “How could they make a judgement, how could they not come to that conclusion.”
“They had sat in those seats and heard over three weeks of nonstop relentless testimony from paid employees and, towards the end of the trial, randos — as I say,” she continued.
When Guthrie asked Heard to confirm that she doesn’t blame the jury, Heard responded, “I don’t blame them, I actually understand. He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”
“How could they, after listening to three and a half weeks of testimony about how I was a non-credible person, [and] not to believe a word that came out of my mouth.”
