June 1st marked an important date for both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, as judges put the ex-couple's murky, perplexing high-profile trial of the $50 million defamation suit to end. It was a frenzy rollercoaster on social media, prompting conversations and slanderous comments left and right. It played a huge part in shaping the public's opinion on the trial and subsequently how their respective careers and lives go after that.
It was a strange moment, to say the least, that putting a serious case of defamation and assault into an "entertainment" show post-Me Too era happened at all. The social media was shockingly brutal place for Amber Heard, who faced constant threats and attacks from cyberbullies in Depp's hyper-passionate fandoms. So, what has happened to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard since the end of the trial? Here's how the famous trial impacted Amber Heard's life and career, and what it means for Johnny Depp.
8 Amber Heard Received $2 Million In Damages
A judge decided that both Amber Heard and Johnny Depp are guilty of defamation of each other's characters. Heard lost most of her counter suit except one that former Depp attorney Adam Waldman had defamed her and had won "only" $2 million in damages. Her net worth sat at around $8 million before the infamous trial, so this could mean that her financial is about to take a major hit.
"I don't care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors," she told NBC.
7 Johnny Depp Won $10.4 Million From The Trial With Amber Heard
Contrary to Amber Heard's experiences, the seven-person panel mainly leaned on Depp's narrative, as he won and was awarded over $10 million in compensatory damages. "Six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled. Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes," the actor closes his lengthy statement.
6 Will Amber Heard Try To Appeal?
It is almost financially impossible for Amber Heard to grant that large amount of money to cover Johnny Depp's damages, so will she try to appeal? In an interview with The Today Show, Elaine Bredehoft, one of Heard's lawyers, confirmed that the actress is "not in a position" to make these payments, adding that she has "some excellent grounds for" an appeal.
“There’s no way they couldn’t have been influenced by it, and it was horrible,” she said about how social media impacted the trial's ending. “It really, really was lopsided.”
5 Will Amber Heard Keep Her Aquaman Role?
Over the past few months, fans have been creating petitions and demanding from DC to strip Amber Heard from her upcoming role in Aquaman. The petition itself has amassed over 4.6 million signatures at the time of this writing, and it's still growing. In the aftermath of the trial, Walter Hamada, the head of Warner Bros' DC, said that the studio is considering either recasting Mara, her character, or reducing her screentime.
“They didn’t have a lot of chemistry together,” he said, concerning Heard's chemistry with her co-star in the film Jason Momoa. “Editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie, but there was a concern that it took a lot of effort to get there.”
4 Amber Heard Will Star In Conor Allyn's Upcoming Drama Thriller
The actress still has an upcoming project in the making. Back in February this year, Variety exclusively reported that Heard has joined the cast members of Connor Allyn's upcoming period drama thriller In the Fire. The film itself centers around the life of a couple in Colombia in the 1890s who are worried that their autistic son possesses a demonic power.
3 How Did The Trial Affect Amber Heard's Reputation?
Johnny Depp had already been a big name in Hollywood before the trial took an ugly turn, but for Amber Heard, she was beginning to climb up the ranks with her breakthrough role in Aquaman when it took place. Does this mean the premature end of her career? Or will there be any chance of redemption?
"I think, for Amber, her career is over," an insider told Vanity Fair. "She didn’t really have a viable career in the last year or two or so before this, so I don’t know how she comes out of that."
2 Johnny Depp's Acting Career Recovers
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp's career is taking off to another height once again following the trial. He's set to announce his big-screen return as King Louis XV in French language-film Jeannu Du Barry, which will begin its filming this summer. He's also been rumored to have turned down $300 million offer to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow, but his reps denied the report in an exclusive statement to People.
1 Johnny Depp Has Returned To Music
Johnny Depp has also begun exploring his other side of artistry: music. In fact, before he was an actor, Depp has always been a talented guitarist. He joined guitarist Jeff Beck this May for his few UK stops and began recording a joint album, titled 18. The rock-fueled record is set to be released on July 15th this year.