When Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial unfolded in a Virginia courtroom in 2022, it quickly turned into a cultural phenomenon with countless viral moments, and millions of viewers tuning into Court TV like it was a reality show. It's undoubtedly one of the biggest celebrity trials, right after O.J. Simpson.
© GettyIt all started when the Pirates of the Caribbean star sued his ex-wife over a Washington Post op-ed in which Heard called herself a survivor of domestic abuse without naming him. The Aquaman star countersued him, and in the end, the jury sided with Depp in his libel lawsuit, awarding him more than $10 million, although after the settlement, she only paid $1 million. Heard also won one of her three counterclaims.
While Heard and Depp were the leads in the courtroom drama, the directors with the final say were the jurors. Three years later, former jurors are giving a closer look at what actually swayed the verdict.
© GettyKelly Loudenberg and Makiko Wholey's new book, Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine, includes testimonies from jurors.
According to juror Tom Nugen, it all came down to credibility. “There were so many inconsistencies, so many holes in [Heard’s] story, that we had a hard time believing anything she said,” he explained. "We didn’t believe a lot of what she was saying. They’re all actors; they can put on a different face if you pay them enough," he added.
The jury, he said, didn’t find her believable, and saw Depp as more authentic, and although it's not the usual way people describe people on the stand, "entertaining." “I enjoyed his testimony,” Nugen admitted. "He was pretty entertaining going back and forth with Heard’s lawyers. We were sitting there for eight hours a day, and having him on the stand was a breath of fresh air."
Two key revelations? Many of the jurors didn’t even know who Heard was before the trial, and two women on the jury "were tougher on Amber than the men."
© GettyNugen also touched on gender, "I agree, in a lot of cases in the past it probably was the man. But you can’t just jump to that conclusion. For someone like Johnny Depp, he can weather the storm. He’s got money, fame, connections," he said. "But an ordinary guy like me could lose his job and livelihood. There’s just no way of coming back from that. Before people start to put a scarlet letter on you, you have to let them have their day in court, or at least allow them to defend themselves without any prejudged ideas."
Even as Heard won one of her three counterclaims, the narrative, both in court and across social media, tilted overwhelmingly toward Depp. Heard later expressed heartbreak, saying “even a mountain of evidence couldn’t overcome [his] disproportionate power.” The actress has since moved to Spain, removing herself from Hollywood, while Depp has returned to his life as an actor.
