Amber Heard Support Grows Slowly In Hollywood After Depp Trial Verdict

Now that a verdict has been reached in Johnny Depp’s defamation suit against Amber Heard, some celebrities are coming out of the woodwork to show support for Heard.

The six-week trial gripped the world as it was broadcast live whenever court was in session.

Depp sued ex-wife Heard for $50 million over three lines in a 2018 op-ed published in the Washington Post that she co-authored with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Heard countersued for $100 million over statements Depp and his camp had made about her.

The jury found Heard guilty of defamation on all counts and ordered her to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

Mia Farrow (left) and Edward Norton (right) have expressed support for Amber Heard in the wake of her explosive court battle with Johnny Depp. Heard is seen leaving court after the verdict was handed down on Wednesday, June 1. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic) (Photo by Rod Lamkey/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images) (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for GQ Men of the Year 2019) Getty ImagesThe jury also found Depp guilty of a defamation charge stemming from an April 8, 2020, article by his associate, Adam Waldman. They ordered Depp to pay Heard $2 million in compensatory damages.

Some big names have loudly supported Depp from the beginning, with Paul McCartney projecting images of the erstwhile Captain Jack Sparrow onscreen at his concerts and ex-girlfriend Kate Moss taking the stand to support him in a mega-viral moment.

Even the Republican House Judiciary Committee posted its support.

Support for Heard has been a little more subdued.

Her Aquaman costar Jason Momoa carefully chose to like the post-trial statements on both Heard and Depp’s Instagram accounts, sending a message that even though he’s friends with Heard, he’s not picking sides.

Even her most famous friends, like Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne, haven’t made their feelings about this trial known.

Elon Musk Tweets in Support of Depp and Heard
But since public opinion made clear that Heard’s reputation was tanking amid the trial, sympathy for the actress has grown.

Elon Musk, Heard’s ex-boyfriend, led the charge, tweeting after closing arguments last week, “I hope they both move on. At their best, they are each incredible.”

Who Has Liked Amber Heard’s Post-verdict Statement?
While most celebrities are staying mum about the highly contentious trial, some are slyly hinting at their allegiance through Instagram likes.

Game of Thrones actress Lena Headey liked Heard’s statement about the verdict on Instagram. Selma Blair also liked Heard’s post, along with The Good Fight actress Sarah Steele; singer Kate Nash and Melanie Lynskey of Yellowjackets.

Fast and the Furious actress Nathalie Emmanuel has liked tweets in support of Heard.

Depp, for his part, garnered likes from Patti Smith, Bella Hadid, Naomi Campbell, Taika Waititi, Molly Shannon, Paris Hilton and more when it came to his post-trial statement.

Mia Farrow Tweets Headline Calling Verdict “Chilling”
Actress Mia Farrow dealt with her own blockbuster court battle over custody of her children with Woody Allen, who married Farrow’s adopted daughter after dating Farrow for years.

Farrow posted a New Yorker story by Jessica Winter entitled, “The Depp-Heard Verdict Is Chilling.”

She quoted from Winter that domestic violence victims watching the outcome of the trial could feel “disbelieved, shamed, and ostracized.”

Edward Norton Likes Post Calling Out Men
Actor Edward Norton liked a tweet from film critic AO Scott saying, “Men need to be honest about what happened here.”

The tweet links to a New York Times op-ed headlined, “The Actual Malice of the Johnny Depp Trial.”

Amy Schumer Seems to Support Heard, Backtracks
Amy Schumer, meanwhile, appeared to support Heard and then backtracked. She posted a screenshot of a quote from feminist icon Gloria Steinem on June 2 reading, “Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke . . . She will need her sisterhood.”

The post quickly attracted media attention, with commenters and critics alike assuming she intended it as support for Heard.

But she has since deleted the post.

On June 3, she replaced it with a Notes App screenshot reading, “FYI I did not watch a second of that trial. Can we maybe work on ending gun violence?”

TV personality Padma Lakshmi appeared to agree, commenting, “Word.” Actress Naomi Watts posted a series of hands-raised and heart emojis while Julianne Moore also commented with three hearts.

But not everyone agreed. “I hate this logic,” commenter @rusticmustic wrote, “it implies we can only focus on one thing. This also implies that watching any of your stuff is also a waste of time because we could be focusing on other things.”

Courtney Love Sympathizes With Heard
Prior to the verdict, Courtney Love voiced support for Depp but said she feels for Heard.

“I’ve been the most hated woman in America. I’ve been the most hated woman in the world, before TikTok, and it’s really a lot of empathy for what that must feel like for Amber. Can you imagine how that feels? Jesus,” Love said, before adding she felt Heard had “abuse[d]” the #MeToo movement.

Julia Fox Pilloried For “Trash Take”
Actress Julia Fox was pummeled online for suggesting in May that Heard was incapable of truly abusing Depp because of his physical and financial power relative to hers.

Singer Aubrey O’Day called Fox’s opinion a “trash take” but Fox did not walk it back.

Ireland Baldwin Walks Back Slamming of Heard
Ireland Baldwin, model and daughter of Alec Baldwin, called Heard a “disaster of a human being” in the early days of the trial, citing her disgust with women who abuse men.

She later walked back those comments.

“I regret chiming in about the whole thing because the reality of it is that it’s all very sad,” she said in an Instagram Q&A. “And I feel bad in different ways for the both of them. I was trying to [be] clear that men can be abused as well and anyone who thinks differently is an idiot.”

David Krumholtz Gives Full-throated support
The actor David Krumholtz, who worked with Heard on the 2011 series The Playboy Club, had strong words for Depp.

“Drugs and alcohol turn men into monsters. I believe Amber Heard,” he wrote on Instagram. “She is not innocent. But she IS a victim. Johnny Depp’s smugness during the trial is sickening.”