If there's one thing that has been made clear during Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation
trial, it's that their marriage was unquestionably toxic, and the trial has become a fierce battleground
over the truth about their relationship.
Stay tuned, Juicers, because we're going to give you a look into what's been going on
in court and all the details you need to know about Johnny Depp's testimony.
For those of you that need an update on what's been going on, Depp sued Heard for alleged
defamation over an op-ed she wrote in 2018 in The Washington Post, in which she describes
herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse."
Heard subsequently countersued her ex-husband, accusing him of allegedly orchestrating a
"smear campaign" against her and describing his own lawsuit as a continuation of "abuse
and harassment."
Over the first two weeks of testimony, the jury has heard from a string of witnesses,
including the couple's former marriage counselor, their friends, family, and Depp himself.
The testimony has so far painted an incredibly disturbing portrait of the actors' doomed
marriage, laying out all the intimate details of their violent fights, drug use, and vicious
words to each other.
In the second week of the trial, it was finally time for Johnny to take the stand and give
his testimony.
It was the first time that the actor was ever given the opportunity to speak out about his
experience during his marriage to Amber, and the world was on the edge of its seat, eager
to hear about his side of the story.
He confessed that he wanted to clear his name after it was smeared throughout the industry,
saying: "It's strange when you're Cinderella, so to speak, and in 0.6 seconds you're Quasimodo."
While Amber's lawyers are attempting to paint the actor as a violent and out-of-control
substance and alcohol abuser, Johnny has explained that his drug and alcohol use had been "an
easy target" for the actress to hit after their marriage ultimately broke down.
But Depp said he had never turned to drugs or alcohol for the sake of partying but rather
to dull the pain of past trauma.
"I think that it was easy; it was an easy target for her to hit.
Because once you have trusted somebody for a certain amount of years and you have told
them all the secrets of your life, that information can then, of course, be used against you."
Depp also compared his marriage to Heard to his toxic relationship with his mother, calling
it an "endless parade of insults."
"You start to slowly realize that you are in a relationship with your mother, in a sense.
And I know that sounds perverse and obtuse, but the fact is, some people search for weaknesses
in people."
He recalled how "demeaning name-calling," being "berated" and "made a fool of" by Heard
would frequently escalate into full-scale arguments.
"If there's a dialogue between two people, both people need to speak.
But there was no way to fit a word in.
It was a sort of rapid-fire, endless parade of insults," he said, adding that he "was
not allowed to be right and not allowed to have a voice."
One of the most shocking recordings played in court so far was one that Johnny had recorded
of Amber during one of their arguments.
In the recording, the actress even admits to hitting him.
Heard and Depp argued about the physical altercation on the recording, during which she said she
hit Depp, but she didn't "deck" him.
She also told Depp to "grow up," calling him a "baby."
"I'm sorry that I didn't hit you across the face in a proper slap," she added.
"I was hitting you; I was not punching you.
You're not punched."
Depp also described in graphic detail the now-infamous fight with Heard that resulted
in his finger being severed.
The actor explained that Amber threw a vodka bottle at him, and when the bottle hit his
hand, the glass shattered.
"She then grabbed that bottle and threw that at me," Depp said, demonstrating to the jury
how he was sitting at the time.
He said his fingers were resting on the edge of the bar and that the large vodka bottle
"made contact and shattered everywhere."
He shared, "I felt no pain at first.
I felt heat and as if something was dripping down my hand."
Johnny said that when he looked down at his hand, he could see the bones exposed on his
finger, and blood was "pouring out."
On his second day of testimony, the actor was asked about his and Amber's wedding day.
As it turns out, Johnny explained that his daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, did not attend their
wedding in 2015.
Depp confessed, "She and Heard were not on particularly great terms for several reasons."
Another one of the more infamous incidents between the couple was when Johnny described
seeing a photo of feces on his bed days after a fight with Heard.
Depp said that he didn't see Heard for almost a month between April and May 2016 as he had
"received some news that was as absurd and grotesque and cruel, and then I was shown
a picture of what the problem was."
The actor had initially wanted to go back to his penthouse to collect a few of his personal
belongings and take them to a place for safekeeping.
However, he was shown a photo of the couple's bed, and on his side of the bed was "human
fecal matter."
Johnny then decided, "it wasn't a good time to go down there."
Depp said his immediate response to the photograph was to "laugh."
"It was so outside; it was so bizarre and so grotesque that I could only laugh."
When it comes to the turning point in their marriage, Johnny shared that it was the death
of his mother in 2016 that made him realize that he no longer wanted to be married to
Amber.
He said, "When those you love leave, we're the ones stuck with the pain, with the grieving
… But it opened my eyes quite a lot to a number of things."
Depp explained that the loss of his mother opened his eyes to the fact that whether it's
a friendship, courtship, or marriage, it's important to try your best to make it work.
But, after trying as hard as you can, he added, "If it's not going to work, it's not going
to work."
Johnny said he had then decided that he would call Heard and inform her of his mother's
death, as well as his intention to file for divorce.
He explained to her he wanted to do it with peace and love and in an amicable and respectful
manner.
He even said that he would continue to take care of her after their divorce.
When he went to go see her at one of his penthouses, he was so scared of how she was going to react
that he asked two of his good friends to accompany him and wait outside the apartment in case
things took a bad turn and Amber turned violent.
Heard then divorced from Depp on 23 May 2016 after just 15 months of marriage.
Naturally, the private texts that Depp had exchanged with his close friend and fellow
actor, Paul Bettany, were also put on display during his testimony.
According to court documents, Depp texted Bettany, "Let's burn Amber!!!"
on 11 June 2013.
When asked about the texts, Johnny explained that while they seem dark and graphic, they
were all made in jest.
He added that he and Bettany share a similar sense of English humor that some may not be
able to understand.
He had turned to his friend to share some of the frustrations of his marriage, and he
preferred not to wallow in his situation but rather make light of it with some jokes.
The actor's history of drug use was also discussed during his testimony, and Johnny admitted
that he struggled with an Opioid addiction after an injury in one of the Pirates Of The
Caribbean films.
However, he also explained that after he was able to kick his addiction to opioids, he
stayed very far away from them.
On the other hand, Johnny did admit that he turned to other substances and alcohol to
help him cope with the constant abuse that he was facing from Amber.
While he understood that it wasn't a healthy way of dealing with his pain, it was the only
way he knew how to cope.
He had truly believed that Amber loved him, and he didn't understand how someone that
was supposed to love him could treat him so terribly.
Her constant verbal attacks left him feeling vulnerable, broken, and alone.
And the only way he knew how to deal with these negative feelings was to numb them with
substances or alcohol.
The court was also shown a photo of Depp asleep on a couch with ice cream split across his
lap.
Depp explained that he had worked a 17-hour day, taken some opioids and that Heard gave
him the ice cream to hold because she knew he was going to pass out.
Depp said, "And if you'll notice, my right hand is in my pocket, so I wasn't participating
in the festival of ice cream.
I was holding her ice cream because she knew what was going to happen – that I would
fall asleep and it would drop, and that was a wonderful picture to take for her."
When Amber's lawyer asked Johnny if it was her fault that the photo had been taken, he
simply answered, "She snapped it."
The actor also shared with the court that he felt a "blinding hurt" when he read Heard's
op-ed and that it was like someone hit him on the back of the head with a 2x4.
When he spoke about what it felt like fighting with Amber, Johnny confessed that he would
become "physically ill" and that he would have to go away and "vomit" during their violent
arguments.
Looking at it from Depp's perspective, it seems like Heard's constant recording of their
private conversations and taking pictures of him during his most vulnerable moments
have all been an attempt to paint herself as the victim.
But the evidence tells a completely different story.
With more and more shocking details about their marriage being revealed to the court,
it seems like Amber and Johnny's relationship was doomed from the very beginning.
The trail is said to last for about six weeks, and since the first two weeks have already
been an emotional rollercoaster, we can only assume that the upcoming weeks will be just
the same.