Amber Heard said she is afraid of new lawsuits from her ex-husband Johnny Depp, especially because she continues to speak publicly after her widely publicized defamation trial.
Two weeks after a Fairfax, Virginia jury ruled that Heard, 36, had defamed Depp, 58, the Aquaman actor appeared on NBC’s Today Show, where she was interviewed by Savannah Guthrie.
In the interview, Guthrie asked Heard about the jury’s decision to find defamatory of his 2018 Washington Post publication, which he described as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” The jury declared a split verdict, awarding Depp $ 10 million in damages (plus $ 350,000 in punitive damages) and Heard a partial $ 2 million victory.
Read more: Amber Heard talks about Johnny Depp’s verdict and says the trial was not “fair”
The story continues under the ad
Guthrie asked Heard if she was “nervous” about what she could and couldn’t say in the interview.
“Of course,” Heard replied. “I took it for granted that it was my right to speak.”
EXCLUSIVE: Amber Heard tells @SavannahGuthrie she’s afraid she’ll keep “silencing.”
AH: “No matter what you say, or how you say it, every step I take will present another opportunity for this kind of silencing, which is what I suppose you have to sue for defamation.” pic.twitter.com/mnl93lpQTu
– TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 15, 2022
Heard added that she was “afraid” that Depp would continue to pursue legal action against her.
“No matter what you say, or how you say it, every step you take will present another opportunity for this kind of silencing,” he said. “That’s what I suppose he has to sue for defamation.”
“The comment was not about Johnny”
Heard stated in the court interview that the Washington Post’s opinion piece, written two years after her divorce, was not about her ex-husband A-list husband.
The story continues under the ad
The comment never mentioned Depp by name.
“What the opinion was about was lending my voice to a bigger cultural conversation we had at the time,” Heard said, referring to the #MeToo movement.
EXCLUSIVE: Amber Heard tells @SavannahGuthrie the opinion piece in which a jury found Heard defamed Johnny Depp.
SG: “Apparently life had moved on and you decide to write an opinion piece. Why did you do that?”
AH: “Because the comment wasn’t about my relationship with Johnny.” pic.twitter.com/rXpD1pGXTG
– TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 15, 2022
“It was important for me not to talk about him, or to do anything like defame him,” he added, saying he had read “teams of lawyers” of the draft articles before they were published.
When asked if he wanted Depp to be “canceled”, as other powerful men were the result of the #MeToo movement, Heard vehemently denied it.
“I didn’t want that to be known”
Heard said the reason he never told police about the alleged domestic violence at Depp’s hands was because he “didn’t want to cooperate with them.”
The story continues under the ad
“I didn’t want that to be out,” he said. “I didn’t want to get in trouble.”
Read more: Jurors “have fallen asleep” during Johnny Depp’s trial against Amber Heard, says stenographer
EXCLUSIVE: @SavannahGuthrie asks Amber Heard about an alleged “TMZ” warning and her lack of police cooperation.
AH: “You can’t get a restraining order in private, which of course I didn’t understand the night the police were called.” pic.twitter.com/jdIgPNRgar
– TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 15, 2022
He said that despite his unwillingness to cooperate with the police, he finally decided to file a temporary restraining order against Depp.
Trend stories
-
COVID-19: Canada will update its definition of “fully vaccinated.”
-
Marilyn Monroe’s dress worn by Kim Kardashian “permanently damaged”: collector
“You can’t get a restraining order in private, which of course I didn’t understand the night the police were called,” he said.
She denied telling TMZ when she would apply for the removal order, contrary to what a TMZ employee testified in court.
The story continues under the ad
The $ 7 million pledge
Guthrie asked Heard about his $ 7 million pledge that was part of his divorce agreement with Depp. The pledge was a central point in the defamation lawsuit, as it was revealed that Heard had not yet given the full amount. In court, Heard testified that he uses the words “woman” and “promise” interchangeably.
“I made a promise and that promise is made over time, by its very nature,” Heard said.
EXCLUSIVE: @SavannahGuthrie asks Amber Heard about her promise to donate $ 7 million to her divorce settlement and whether her money statements “raised questions about [Heard’s] credibility with the jury. “pic.twitter.com/3V2aBGxyAI
– TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 15, 2022
“I feel that much of the trial was meant to slander who I am as a human being, my credibility, to call myself a liar in every way possible,” she said, interrupted by Guthrie, who said that was precisely what judgment was.
The story continues under the ad
Guthrie called the trial a “credibility contest.”
Read more: Amber Heard’s lawyer claims Johnny Depp “demonized” ex-wife and suppressed evidence in defamation lawsuit
“I shouldn’t have had to give it a try to believe me,” Heard said, referring to the $ 7 million pledge.
The actor said he still plans to keep his promise.
“I’m not a good victim”
Depp’s many graphic and disturbing text messages to friends (including Marvel WandaVision star Paul Bettany) and employees were read aloud in court.
@SavannahGuthrie: “There’s a text message where Johnny promises total humiliation for you. Do you think it’s come true?”
Amber Heard: “… I asked the jury to see me as a human and to hear their own words, which is a promise to do so. It seems like it is.” pic.twitter.com/iQuH82OcMI
– TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 15, 2022
The story continues under the ad
Guthrie asked Heard about one of these texts in which Depp promised “total global humiliation” for Heard. Guthrie asked the actor if she believed her ex-husband was successful.
Taking a deep breath, Heard replied, “I know he promised.”
“I testified to that. I’m not a good victim,” he said.
“But when I testified I asked the jury to see me as a human and hear their own words, which is a promise to do so. It looks like they did.”
‘I love him’
During the trial, Heard told the court, “I still have a love for Johnny.”
When Guthrie asked the actor if this was still true, Heard said yes.
“After all?” Guthrie asked.
@SavannahGuthrie: On the first day of the trial you issued a statement, and part of the statement said, “I still love Johnny.”
Amber Heard: Yes.
SG: Is it still true?
AH: Yes.
SG: After all?
AH: Absolutely. I love him. I loved her with all my heart. pic.twitter.com/h49L6XdYuR
– TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 15, 2022
The story continues under the ad
“Absolutely,” Heard replied quickly. “I love him. I loved him with all my heart and I did my best to make a deeply broken relationship work.
“I have no bad feelings or bad will towards him.”
“I did the right thing”
When asked about the future, Heard said she was excited to be a mother. Heartd’s daughter, Oonagh Paige Heard, is one year old.
“I can be a mother, like, full time,” Heard said with a smile.
EXCLUSIVE: @SavannahGuthrie asks Amber Heard what the future holds and if Heard will tell her daughter “everything” that has “happened.” pic.twitter.com/TxQhMJSqLF
– TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 15, 2022
The story continues under the ad
Guthrie asked if Heard would tell his daughter about the future defamation trial and how.
“I don’t care what that means,” Heard said. “I did the right thing. I did my best to defend myself and defend the truth.”
2:04 Jury awards Johnny Depp $ 15 million in damages in a defamation suit against Amber Heard Previous video Next video
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.