WEBVTT
1
00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:11.759
Caalaroga Shark Media. Good morning, I'm Read Carter, and welcome
2
00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:14.759
back to Celebrity Trials. We're taking a break from our
3
00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:17.239
live trial coverage to bring you some of the greatest
4
00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:20.760
celebrity trials ever. Remember you don't have to be a
5
00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:23.760
celebrity going in, but you will be one when the
6
00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:27.600
verdict comes down, and we'll be back to covering breaking
7
00:00:27.640 --> 00:00:31.440
trials as they happen. Today, we're diving into the case
8
00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:35.920
that redefined celebrity justice in the social media age. Johnny
9
00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:40.520
Depp versus Amber Heard, a legal battle so explosive it
10
00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:43.640
made the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni war look like
11
00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:48.159
a disagreement over coffee plans. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
12
00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:52.159
One was Hollywood royalty worth hundreds of millions, the other
13
00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:55.520
was a rising star ready to conquer the world. Together,
14
00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:59.119
they should have been unstoppable. Instead, they became the most
15
00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:02.399
toxic celebrity couple of the twenty first century, and their
16
00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:04.879
legal war would redefine what it means to fight for
17
00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:08.400
your reputation in the age of social media. This is
18
00:01:08.439 --> 00:01:11.000
the story of how a twenty three year age gap
19
00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:14.560
became a twenty three million dollar legal Bill, how love
20
00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:18.879
turned into mutual destruction, and how two people convince themselves
21
00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:21.519
that destroying each other in court was better than just
22
00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:26.040
walking away. Because sometimes the most dangerous relationships aren't the
23
00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:29.400
ones that end quietly. They're the ones that end in
24
00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:33.159
federal court rooms with cameras rolling and the world watching.
25
00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:36.159
Let me paint you the picture of how this all began.
26
00:01:36.760 --> 00:01:38.920
It's two thousand and nine and Johnny Depp is at
27
00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:41.920
the absolute peak of his powers. The Pirates of the
28
00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:44.480
Caribbean franchise has made him one of the highest paid
29
00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:48.560
actors in Hollywood. He's worth an estimated two hundred million dollars,
30
00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:51.480
owns a private island in the Bahamas, and has been
31
00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:54.920
in a stable relationship with French actress Vanessa Parodies for
32
00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:58.719
twelve years. They have two children together. Life is good.
33
00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:03.879
Enter Amber heard, twenty three years old, stunningly beautiful, and
34
00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:07.480
hungry for fame in that particularly American way that Hollywood
35
00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:11.919
both creates and devours. She's been cast in the rum Diary,
36
00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:15.639
a Hunter S. Thompson adaptation that Depp is both starring
37
00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:19.919
in and producing. On paper, she's the female lead. In reality,
38
00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:22.919
she's about to become the most expensive mistake of Johnny
39
00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:26.599
Depp's life. Now, let me tell you something about age
40
00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:30.800
gap relationships in Hollywood. They're as common as botox and
41
00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:36.120
twice as predictable. Older male star meets younger actress. Older
42
00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:39.639
male star thinks he's found his muse. Younger actress thinks
43
00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:42.360
she's found her ticket to the A list. Sometimes it
44
00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:46.159
works out. Most of the time it ends in expensive
45
00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:50.400
divorces and NDAs. But the Depp heard situation had red
46
00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:54.400
flags from day one that everyone chose to ignore. First,
47
00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:58.120
there was the way the relationship began. Depp was still
48
00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:01.919
with parodies when he started developing feelings for herd Friends
49
00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:06.000
and family members who knew dep well reportedly expressed concern
50
00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:09.080
about his interest in the much younger actress. But when
51
00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:11.960
you're Johnny Depp in two thousand and nine, people don't
52
00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:16.400
tell you no very often. Second, there was the power dynamic.
53
00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:19.599
Depp wasn't just the male lead, he was the producer.
54
00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:23.199
He had complete control over Hurd's career prospects, at least
55
00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:25.840
on this film. She was a relative nobody who had
56
00:03:25.879 --> 00:03:28.680
appeared in a few small films and TV shows. The
57
00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:33.360
imbalance wasn't just romantic, it was professional. And financial. Third,
58
00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:36.479
and this is where it gets interesting from a legal perspective,
59
00:03:36.680 --> 00:03:39.439
there were already signs of the volatility that would later
60
00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:43.719
consume both their lives. People close to the production reported
61
00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:47.680
that Depp and Herd's on set relationship was intense, passionate,
62
00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:52.879
and occasionally explosive, not exactly unusual for Hollywood romances, but
63
00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:56.000
worth noting given what came later. The filming of The
64
00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:59.360
Rum Diary wrapped in two thousand and nine, but the
65
00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:04.439
movie wasn't released until twenty eleven. During that two year period,
66
00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:09.039
deppan Heard maintained what they claimed was a professional relationship,
67
00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:12.400
but by most accounts, the attraction was obvious to everyone
68
00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:16.759
around them. In twenty twelve, Depp finally ended his relationship
69
00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:20.680
with Parodies. The official line was that they had grown apart,
70
00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:25.360
but Hollywood insiders knew the real reason. Johnny Depp, at
71
00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.319
forty nine years old, had fallen hard for a woman
72
00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:32.680
half his age who represented everything his stable domestic life
73
00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:39.720
with Parodies wasn't dangerous, unpredictable, and exciting. By early twenty twelve,
74
00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:43.920
Depp and Herd were officially dating. The tabloids loved it,
75
00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:47.720
Captain Jack Sparrow and the gorgeous young actress made for
76
00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:51.759
great copy, but people close to Depp were reportedly concerned
77
00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:56.040
about the relationship's intensity and Herd's influence over him. The
78
00:04:56.079 --> 00:04:59.839
engagement came in twenty fourteen, with Herd sporting a diamond
79
00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:04.360
that probably cost more than most people's houses. They looked
80
00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:07.920
happy in the paparazzi photos. Depp seemed energized by his
81
00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.319
young fiancee, and Herd looked like she'd won the Hollywood lottery.
82
00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:16.879
But here's what's fascinating about their relationship timeline. Almost from
83
00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:21.759
the beginning, there were reports of fights, breakups, and reconciliations.
84
00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:27.800
Friends described their dynamic as passionate but volatile. In Hollywood
85
00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:31.959
speak that usually means call the lawyers. The wedding finally
86
00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:35.439
took place in February twenty fifteen, a private ceremony in
87
00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:38.399
the Bahamas with just a few close friends and family members.
88
00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:42.279
The photos were gorgeous, the venue was exclusive, and the
89
00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:46.800
marriage lasted all of fifteen months. Fifteen months. For all
90
00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:49.759
the drama that would follow, these two people who convinced
91
00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:53.120
themselves they couldn't live without each other, managed to stay
92
00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:55.560
legally married for less than a year and a half.
93
00:05:56.759 --> 00:06:00.279
So what went wrong? How does a fairytale romance between
94
00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:04.879
two beautiful, wealthy, successful people turn into a cautionary tale
95
00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:09.600
about toxic relationships. The answer, as it often is in Hollywood,
96
00:06:09.879 --> 00:06:16.839
involves drugs, alcohol, money, and egos, lots of egos. Let's
97
00:06:16.839 --> 00:06:20.480
start with Johnny Depp's substance abuse issues, which were well
98
00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:24.680
documented long before he met Amber Herd but reportedly escalated
99
00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:28.240
during their relationship. Depp had been open about his struggles
100
00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:31.600
with alcohol and had experimented with drugs throughout his career,
101
00:06:31.879 --> 00:06:35.000
but friends and colleagues noticed that his substance use became
102
00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:38.600
more problematic during the Herd years. Text messages that would
103
00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:41.959
later be revealed in court showed depth, describing himself in
104
00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:45.920
terms that would make Hunter S. Thompson blush. We're talking
105
00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:48.680
about a man who was consuming levels of alcohol and
106
00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:52.920
drugs that would hospitalize normal people. And this wasn't recreational use.
107
00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:55.759
This was a man trying to numb something much deeper.
108
00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:01.199
Then there was the money situation. Yes, Depp was worth
109
00:07:01.319 --> 00:07:04.439
hundreds of millions on paper, but he was also spending
110
00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:06.959
money at a rate that would make a lottery winner nervous.
111
00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:12.399
Private islands, wine, collections, multiple homes, a full time staff
112
00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:16.639
of dozens. The man was hemorrhaging cash. His business managers
113
00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:19.959
were reportedly warning him about his spending. But when you're
114
00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.800
married to a woman twenty three years younger who's accustomed
115
00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:27.399
to a certain lifestyle, financial restraint becomes complicated. And speaking
116
00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:31.720
of Amberherd's lifestyle expectations, let's be honest about what this
117
00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:35.600
relationship represented for her. She went from being a struggling
118
00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:38.240
actress to being the wife of one of the world's
119
00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:44.000
most famous movie stars. Private jets, designer clothes, exclusive parties,
120
00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:48.120
a list events. It was everything a young actress dreams about.
121
00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:51.680
But here's where the story gets darker. According to court
122
00:07:51.720 --> 00:07:54.800
documents and testimony that would come out later, the fairy
123
00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:58.759
tale was hiding some very ugly realities. Both Depp and
124
00:07:58.839 --> 00:08:01.839
Herd would later accuse each other of physical and emotional
125
00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:05.800
abuse during their marriage. The details are disturbing and contradictory,
126
00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:09.480
and we'll get into the specific allegations in our next episodes,
127
00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:13.600
but what's clear is that whatever was happening behind closed doors,
128
00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:16.920
it was toxic enough to destroy both their mental health
129
00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:22.040
and their careers. There were also the career pressures during
130
00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:25.560
their marriage, Depp's film career was starting to show cracks.
131
00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:33.639
Mortdecai bombed Alice through the Looking Glass, underperformed the Pirates franchise,
132
00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:37.000
was showing signs of fatigue. For an actor whose identity
133
00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:39.919
was built on being one of Hollywood's most bankable stars,
134
00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:44.000
professional disappointment added another layer of stress to an already
135
00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:49.240
volatile situation. Meanwhile, Hurd was trying to establish herself as
136
00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:54.240
a serious actress while being known primarily as Johnny Depp's wife.
137
00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:57.639
She had roles in Justice League and Aquaman, but the
138
00:08:57.639 --> 00:09:01.320
shadow of her famous husband loomed large over her career.
139
00:09:01.960 --> 00:09:05.960
That kind of professional frustration can poison even healthy relationships.
140
00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:09.240
Friends of both Depp and Herd reported that their fights
141
00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:12.480
were legendary screaming matches that could be heard through the
142
00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:16.120
walls of their penthouses. There were reports of throne objects,
143
00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:21.600
broken furniture, and neighbors calling security. This wasn't normal relationship conflict.
144
00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:24.440
This was two people who brought out the absolute worst
145
00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:28.200
in each other. The breaking point came in May twenty sixteen,
146
00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:33.360
just fifteen months after their wedding. Back in a moment
147
00:09:45.799 --> 00:09:50.000
welcome back to celebrity trials, I'm Red Carter, and we're
148
00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:53.679
exploring how Johnny Depp and Amber Herd went from Hollywood's
149
00:09:53.720 --> 00:09:59.360
golden couple to courtroom enemies. May twenty third, twenty sixteen,
150
00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:04.120
Amber Heard files for divorce from Johnny Depp, citing irreconcilable
151
00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:08.600
differences in Hollywood. That's usually code for we can't stand
152
00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:11.600
each other, but our lawyers told us not to get specific.
153
00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:16.639
But Herd didn't stop at filing for divorce. Three days later,
154
00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:21.279
she filed for a restraining order against Depp, alleging domestic violence,
155
00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:23.960
and she showed up to court with photos of what
156
00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:28.320
appeared to be bruises on her face. Those photos would
157
00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:31.919
become the most important evidence in everything that followed, because
158
00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:34.240
once Amber Heard made the decision to go public with
159
00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:37.919
abuse allegations, there was no going back for either of them.
160
00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:41.360
The restraining order filing was accompanied by a declaration from
161
00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:46.000
Herd describing incidents of alleged physical abuse. She claimed Depp
162
00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:48.919
had hit her, thrown objects at her, and threatened her.
163
00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:52.679
She described a pattern of escalating violence that she said
164
00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:57.159
had gotten worse as Dep's substance abuse increased. Depp's response
165
00:10:57.240 --> 00:11:01.799
was swift and categorical, complete denial. His lawyers painted Herd
166
00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:04.559
as a gold digger who was fabricating abuse allegations to
167
00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:08.399
gain leverage in the divorce proceedings. They suggested the bruises
168
00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:11.720
and the photos were either fake or self inflicted. And
169
00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:14.399
here's where the story becomes a preview of everything that
170
00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:18.600
would follow. Both sides immediately hired not just divorce lawyers,
171
00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:22.120
but crisis pr firms. This wasn't going to be a
172
00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:26.159
quiet Hollywood divorce handled behind closed doors. This was going
173
00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:29.440
to be a public relations war. The media coverage was
174
00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:34.000
immediate and intense. Dep's fans rallied to his defense, pointing
175
00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:36.759
to his lack of any history of violence against women.
176
00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:40.480
Herd's supporters applauded her courage in speaking out against a
177
00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:44.159
powerful man. The battle lines were drawn, and they haven't
178
00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:48.240
moved much since. But here's what's interesting about the divorce proceedings.
179
00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:53.799
They were actually resolved relatively quickly and quietly. By August
180
00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:57.919
twenty sixteen, just three months after the initial filing, Depp
181
00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:01.720
and Herd reached a settlement. The terms Depp would pay
182
00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:05.720
her seven million dollars and both parties would release statements
183
00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:10.440
saying that our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile,
184
00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:15.000
but always bound by love. Most importantly, they agreed to
185
00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:19.240
a mutual non disparagement clause neither would speak publicly about
186
00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:23.080
their relationship or the allegations. Hurt also made a very
187
00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:26.639
public promise she would donate the entire seven million dollar
188
00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:31.000
settlement to charity, specifically the American Civil Liberties Union and
189
00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:35.279
the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. This wasn't just generous,
190
00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:38.720
it was strategically brilliant. It made her look like someone
191
00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:43.039
who wasn't motivated by money, which undermined dep's gold digger narrative.
192
00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:48.360
The divorce was finalized in January twenty seventeen, and for
193
00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:51.200
a brief moment it looked like both parties might actually
194
00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:54.960
honor their agreement to move on quietly. That lasted less
195
00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:58.840
than two years. Because here's the thing about toxic relationships.
196
00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:02.519
The legal paper work might end the marriage, but it
197
00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:06.120
doesn't end the emotional warfare. And when you're dealing with
198
00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:08.440
two people who have hundreds of millions of dollars in
199
00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:11.480
access to the best lawyer's money can buy, a simple
200
00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:14.000
divorce settlement is just the opening move in a much
201
00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:17.879
longer game. Depp clearly felt that the abuse allegations had
202
00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:21.200
damaged his reputation and career, even though he had never
203
00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:25.399
been criminally charged or formally found liable for anything. Hollywood's
204
00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:28.159
whisper network is real, and once you're labeled as someone
205
00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:31.399
who hits women, that label follows you to every casting
206
00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:36.559
decision and business meeting. Heard meanwhile, was discovering that speaking
207
00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:40.440
up about domestic violence, even with a settlement and NDAs
208
00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:43.840
in place, came with its own set of consequences. She
209
00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:47.080
was being criticized in the media as a money grubbing liar,
210
00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:50.200
and her own career was suffering from the association with
211
00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:53.759
the controversy. So when The Washington Post offered Herd the
212
00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:56.720
opportunity to write an op ed about domestic violence in
213
00:13:56.759 --> 00:14:00.960
December twenty eighteen, she said yes. It seemed like a
214
00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:04.240
chance to tell her story without violating the non disparagement
215
00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:07.960
agreement since she wouldn't mention Debt by name. That op
216
00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:11.159
ed would trigger the most watched defamation trial in American
217
00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:15.080
history and prove that sometimes the most expensive words are
218
00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:19.440
the ones you don't actually say. You know what fascinates
219
00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:22.879
me about the dep heard relationship. Both people probably thought
220
00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:26.240
they were rescuing each other. Depp saw a young, beautiful
221
00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:28.799
woman who could make him feel young and relevant again.
222
00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:32.000
Heard saw an established star who could open doors that
223
00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:35.159
would otherwise remain closed to her forever. But here's the
224
00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:38.279
problem with relationships built on what the other person can
225
00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:41.799
do for you. When the benefits stop outweighing the costs,
226
00:14:42.039 --> 00:14:45.559
there's nothing left to hold the relationship together. And when
227
00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:50.120
you add drugs, alcohol, massive egos, and hundreds of millions
228
00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:54.000
of dollars to the mix, the explosion is inevitable. The
229
00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:57.360
really tragic part is that both Depp and Herd probably
230
00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:00.799
could have walked away from their marriage with their reputation intact.
231
00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:04.559
If they had just honored their settlement agreement. Depp could
232
00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:08.000
have remained the beloved eccentric character actor, and Herd could
233
00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:10.639
have built a solid career without the shadow of domestic
234
00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:14.519
violence allegations. Instead, they chose to keep fighting, and in
235
00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:17.159
the process they gave us a masterclass in how not
236
00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:21.240
to handle a toxic relationship when you're famous, wealthy, and
237
00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:24.919
have access to unlimited legal resources. But the Depp Heard
238
00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:29.679
story was just getting started, because in twenty eighteen, Amber
239
00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:32.679
Herd would write six hundred and fifty words that would