Amber Heard Opens Up About Johnny Depp And Her Hopes For The Future Ahead Of Defamation Trial

Amber Heard in Aquaman and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean.
(Image credit: Warner Bros./Disney)

After months of paperwork and filings, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s defamation trial is set to kick off on Monday. Due to this, Heard says she’s about to take a break from social media, but not before she opened up about Johnny Depp, her side of the story, and finally, her hopes for the future post-trial. 

Amber Heard’s updates on social media in recent months have mostly been cute baby posts – her little one just turned one – and slice of life moments from the Aquaman 2 star. This weekend, however, she shared her feelings on what she believes happened between her and her ex, leading to Johnny Depp suing her over defamation. In a text post on Instagram, Heard wrote: 

Johnny is suing me for an op-ed I wrote in the Washington Post, in which I recounted my experience of violence and domestic abuse. I never named him, rather I wrote about the price women pay for speaking out against men in power. I continue to pay that price, but hopefully when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny. I have always maintained a love for Johnny and it brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world.

Heard went on to write about the “ongoing support” she’s received through the years, which includes her “squad.” Who is Amber Heard’s squad? Well, they are a group of women who have stuck by her in recent years, including Elaine Bredehoft and Jennifer Robinson, members of her legal team. Heard’s sister Whitney is also a part of this group, though Heard reportedly split from her former partner and “squad” member Bianca Butti last year.

You can see her full post from the weekend, just ahead of the trial, which also touches on hopeful thoughts about "moving on," both for herself and her ex-husband. (The two split back in 2016.)

As for the trial, it’s looming and things are expected to get intense.  In the defamation case, Johnny Depp has sued Amber Heard for $50 million and she, in turn, countersued Depp for $100 million. We also already know that some famous figures will be involved in the Depp/Heard trial, including the likes of James Franco, who is reportedly on the witness list. As well, Paul Bettany spoke about having text messages sifted through as part of the defamation lawsuit. And recently, emails and text messages from Aquaman's Jason Momoa were added to the exhibit list.  

In recent days, fans also learned the Heard/Depp trial will air on television in the U.S., only on CourtTV. For his part, the former Pirates of the Caribbean actor has remained off of social media, particularly Instagram, in recent weeks. 

Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.