The timeline of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s relationship
Depp met Heard in 2009, on the set of The Rum Diary, where Heard played the love interest to Depp’s character. During his testimony in Fairfax, Depp described the first moment of connection he felt with Heard, as the two filmed a scene that called for their characters to kiss in the shower.
“That moment, was, it was, it felt like something, it felt like something I should not be feeling,” Depp said, adding that they were both in relationships at the time. “I think there was something in the kiss in the shower that was real.”
The two met again two years later to promote the film, but only began dating once Depp split with his longtime partner Vanessa Paradis, with whom he has two children. Depp and Heard married in 2015. Heard filed for divorce 15 months later, receiving a temporary restraining order against Depp, whom she claimed was abusive toward her. Depp denied the allegations, with his legal team accusing Heard of “alleging abuse” to “secure a premature financial resolution.” After Heard rescinded a request for $50,000 a month in spousal support, they settled out of court, with Heard receiving $7 million. Heard has said she donated the money to charity.
The pair released a joint statement when their divorce was finalized saying, “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love.”
Jim Watson—Getty Images
Jim Watson—Getty ImagesUS actor Johnny Depp looks on during a hearing at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 3, 2022.
What Amber Heard said in her testimony
Heard took the stand for the first time on May 4, testifying to physical violence in her relationship that she says was fueled by Depp’s abuse of drugs and alcohol. “I struggle to find the words to describe how painful this is,” Heard said as she began her testimony. “This is the most painful and difficult thing I’ve ever gone through, for sure.”
She detailed the secret start of their relationship—during the press tour for The Rum Diary—when she claims Depp showered her with lavish gifts, and its violent turn in 2012, when she says Depp began drinking again after stopping due to a health issue. Heard described the first time Depp allegedly hit her, saying, “I will never forget it. It changed my life.” She said Depp would take a variety of drugs—including ecstasy and cocaine—and often accused her of cheating on him.
Johnny Depp And Amber Heard Started Dating In 2012
A few years after Johnny Depp and Amber Heard first met on the set of The Rum Diary, the two finally started dating in 2012 after Depp and his long-time partner, Vanessa Paradis called it quits. Depp addressed the breakup in a July 2013 interview in , where the actor said that “relationships are very difficult.”
Depp didn’t mention Heard in the Rolling Stone piece, which was pretty standard for he and Heard as they remained private about their relationship until they made their first appearance as a couple at the 7th Annual Heaven Gala in January 2014, as reported by . A few days later, reported that the couple was engaged.
(Image credit: ABC News)
Why is Johnny Depp suing Amber Heard?
Depp brought a $50 million defamation suit against Heard in March 2019 after she published an op-ed in the Washington Post the previous December. In the article, Heard discussed the treatment of women in sexual assault cases and referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” but did not mention Depp by name. Depp, who said he was dropped from his role in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise just days after the article was published, claims the article caused damage to his career. Depp’s career was already on the rocks following the couple’s publicized breakup and the allegations of abuse that rocketed between them.
The long-postponed trial comes after Depp lost a similar suit accusing News Group Newspapers, the U.K publisher of the tabloid, The Sun of libel in 2020.
The Couple Got Married In 2015; Injuries And Legal Drama Followed
The couple didn’t waste any time getting married as not even a year after getting engaged, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard exchanged their vows on February 5, 2015. According to , the couple got married on Depp’s 44-acre private island in the Bahamas.
The fun and love would be short-lived, however, as trouble reportedly started to hinder the couple’s relationship practically as soon as they tied the knot. According to a report by , Depp suffered a hand injury while filming Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in Australia. Depp reportedly received the injury during an argument with Heard.
In March 2015, Depp reportedly got into an argument with Heard and proceeded to smash bottles, windows, and other items around the residence. Depp reportedly sliced off a portion of one of his fingers during the incident. Instead of immediately seeking medical attention for his finger, Depp allegedly stuck the stump in a can of paint and used it to write “Billy Bob” and “Easy Amber” on a mirror, referring to Depp’s accusations that Heard cheated on him with her London Fields co-star Billy Bob Thornton.
In May of that year, the couple faced legal trouble in Australia after local authorities learned that Depp and Heard illegally brought their Yorkshire Terriers to the country when they failed to subject the dogs to Australia’s 10-day quarantine. The couple could have faced a sentence of up to 10 years in prison but were instead only required to issue an apology. In April 2016, Depp and Heard where they awkwardly apologized for violating the country’s bio-security codes by not declaring the dogs.
(Image credit: Disney)
Amber Heard Filed A Motion To Dismiss The Suit In April 2019
In April 2019 reported that Heard filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, stating that Depp became violent on numerous occasions during their relationship. The motion details more than examples of abuse by Depp, who she referred to as “The Monster» when he would act that way.
A month later, on May 20, 2019, Depp and his legal team filed an opposition to Heard’s motion, arguing that Heard had made up the allegations against her ex-husband and that she had gone to court in “.” Depp also argued that Heard had been abusing him throughout their relationship.
In July 2019, Depp’s legal team announced that it would subpoena James Franco after he was spotted in a 2016 surveillance video alongside Heard after she reportedly got into a fight with Depp. Franco reportedly lived in the same apartment complex as Depp and Heard at the time of the incident. In lieu of providing testimony if the suit goes to trial, Franco has filed a request to provide a sealed deposition.
The whole situation was further muddled in early 2020 when audio from a 2015 therapy session involving the then couple was leaked online. Throughout the audio, Heard and Depp both can be heard acknowledging their anger issues before both agree to put an end to the physical violence before things went too far. One of the most newsworthy portions of the two-hour taped therapy session revolves around Heard’s alleged confession to hitting Depp during their relationship.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
The Divorce — And Legal — Proceedings Started In 2016
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s marriage started out on a high note, but only continued to suffer from reports of abuse and the legal trouble in Australia. And 15 months after they exchanged their vows, Heard filed for divorce on May 23, 2016. Multiple news outlets reported on the divorce, including , who reported that Heard cited “irreconcilable differences” when she filed a divorce petition. obtained divorce documents which stated that the couple had separated a day earlier.
Heard would go on to against Depp in May 2016, claiming that Depp harmed Heard. The petition also reportedly contained a photo showing multiple bruises on Heard’s face which she claimed were caused by Depp. A judge ordered Depp to stay at least 100 yards away from Heard and that he should have no contact with his estranged wife.
The restraining order would be tossed out, however, as Heard retracted her allegations against Depp just one day before a hearing was to be held on the matter. A statement from the couple obtained by explained that although the relationship was “intensely passionate and at times volatile,” it was “always bound by love.” Depp and Heard would go on to reach a $7 million divorce settlement on August 16, 2016.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
A Verdict Was Announced In The Johnny Depp And Amber Heard Defamation Trial On June 1, 2022
Although the trial took six weeks to play out, the jury only required a few days to deliberate on the case and come to a conclusion, though they did return to ask an important question about Amber Heard’s 2018 Washington Post op-ed.
On June 1, 2022, it was announced that the jury found Heard guilty of defamation by Johnny Depp in three counts, which resulted in an award of $15 million for the former Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them star ($10 million in compensatory and another $5 million in punitive damages, per the ). At the same time, the jury awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages in her countersuit.
Johnny Depp Lost A Libel Case
In November 2020, another libel case filed by Johnny Depp came to a conclusion when a U.K. judge decided that News Group Newspapers hadn’t committed defamation when The Sun newspaper, which is owned by the media corporation, published a 2018 article in which the actor was called a “wife beater.”
According to, this libel trial featured testimony from both Depp and Amber Heard as well as various other witnesses including friends, colleagues, and police officers. Heard’s testimony would end up being crucial to the outcome of the case, as the judge sided with the actress following her multiple claims of alleged abuse by Depp.
(Image credit: Warner Bros., Disney)
Johnny Depp And Amber Heard Met On The Set Of The Rum Diary in 2009
Before the orders of protection, before the divorce, and even before the marriage, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard first met each other as co-stars on the set of a film back in 2009. According to , Depp and Heard first met while filming The Rum Diary in October 2009 where they were cast as each other’s love interests in the film adaptation of the Hunter S. Thompson novel.
In the film, Depp portrays Paul Kemp, an author turned newspaper reporter in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While in Puerto Rico, Kemp meets and falls for Chenault (Heard), and the two begin a torrid love affair behind the back of Chenault’s fiance, Hal Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). The film was a flop at the box office and didn’t fare much better with critics, but it did serve as the beginning of a love affair that is far more interesting than anything found in the movie.
(Image credit: FilmDistrict)
The Johnny Depp And Amber Heard Defamation Trial Started April 11, 2022
After what seems like years of delays, the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation case finally went to trial in Fairfax County, Virginia on April 11, 2022, which resulted in even more media coverage and revelations about the couple’s past.
The nearly two-month trial played out as dramatically as anyone could have imagined, and featured intense and insightful testimony from witnesses and experts, as well as from the two opposing parties, as a jury tried to determine if Heard’s 2018 Washington Post op-ed was defamatory in nature. Depp’s $50 million filing centered around the actor blaming Heard for getting him booted from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (he was also later removed from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore). Heard’s $100 million countersuit was in response to what she alleged to be a massive smear campaign by her ex.
On May 27, 2022, the two sides presented their closing arguments and the case was handed over to the jury.
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
What did Heard write in the Washington Post op-ed?
In December 2018, Heard published a Washington Post op-ed with the headline “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”
In the article, she discussed the public backlash she had received after she “became a public figure representing domestic abuse” in 2016, then advocated for more support for victims of domestic violence.
Though Heard didn’t mention Depp by name, the timeline she described in the piece matched up with the timeline of the couple’s divorce two years prior, in 2016.
Actor Amber Heard listens in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, April 25, 2022.Steve Helber—Getty Images
What Johnny Depp said in his testimony
Over days of testimonies, which began on April 19, Depp detailed a childhood filled with verbal and physical abuse, his first encounters with Heard, and how the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise transformed his life.
Both Heard and Depp have accused each other of physical violence, and both have denied the other’s claims. In his testimony, Depp said, “Never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way nor have I ever struck any woman in my life.” He claimed that Heard was violent toward him, detailing one instance in which his finger was seriously injured after Heard allegedly threw a vodka bottle at him.
During a cross-examination by Heard’s team, Depp was asked about text messages he sent to friends detailing his drug and alcohol use and discussing potential acts of violence against Heard—in one, he referred to her as a “rotting corpse”,He claimed they were only a reflection of his dark humor. “If you’re writing, there is no set place that you have to stay in, you can travel.” he said. “And sometimes pain has to be dealt with with humor—and sometimes dark, very dark humor.”
The actor also discussed how he was dropped from the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film after the publication of Heard’s op-ed. “I would be a real simpleton to not think that there was an effect on my career based on Ms. Heard’s words, whether they mentioned my name or not,” Depp said.
Actress Amber Heard, left, and her attorney, Ben Rottenborn, right, listen as Jack Whigham, center, talent manager for US actor Johnny Depp, is seen on a monitor as he testifies remotely in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 2, 2022.Steve Helber—Pool/AFP/Getty Images
The Washington Post Published An Op-Ed From Amber Heard On Domestic Violence In December 2018
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard went their separate ways after the divorce was finalized and it seemed like everything was calming down when Heard became romantically attached to billionaire inventor Elon Musk in the spring of 2017. That relationship, however, was short-lived. In August 2017, Heard shared on social media that the couple had broken up but would “remain close.”
Everything was quiet on the Depp-Heard front until December 2018, when published an op-ed from Heard, titled “I Spoke Up Against Sexual Violence — And Faced Our Culture’s Wrath. That Has To Change.” Although Heard never explicitly named Depp or any specific encounters of domestic abuse by his hand, many believed that she was speaking of her former husband when she mentioned death threats and the hit her career took in the wake of the divorce and allegations. A lengthy editor’s note was added to the piece following the June 2022 trial.
(Image credit: Universal)
Johnny Depp Filed A Defamation Suit Against Heard In March 2019
Readers of The Washington Post weren’t the only ones who thought the op-ed was aimed at Johnny Depp, as Depp and his legal team filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife in March 2019, where they argued that the claims made in the op-ed were “categorically false,” according to . The lawsuit also suggests that Heard was actually the aggressor in the relationship and had abused Depp. According to what reported in April 2019, Depp’s attorney, Adam Waldman, told the outlet they had numerous eyewitness accounts as well as video and photographic evidence that prove that Heard was «faking her claims» of injuries.
Depp believes that Disney dropped him from the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise in the wake of Heard’s op-ed, which his attorneys believed Heard wrote in an attempt to “generate positive publicity for Ms. Heard and advance her career.” The Depp legal team also suggested that the op-ed was released to promote Heard’s film Aquaman which was released just three days after the piece was published.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)