Johnny Depp, Amber Heard’s Ups and Downs Through the Years

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Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s Ups and Downs Through the Years: Divorce, Defamation Lawsuit and More

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were married for less than two years, but they’ve weathered a ton of ups and downs since their 2016 split.

The Oscar nominee and the Aquaman star met on the set of the 2011 film The Rum Diary, which began production in early 2009. At the time, Depp was in a long-term relationship with Vanessa Paradis, with whom he shares daughter Lily-Rose (born in 1999) and son Jack (born in 2002).

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor and the French singer announced their separation in June 2012. He and Heard began dating that same year, but they didn’t make their first official appearance as a couple until January 2014 when they attended a gala together.

The duo tied the knot in February 2015 during a low-key ceremony at Depp’s home, then had a larger, more lavish celebration in the Bahamas on the actor’s private island.

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“Nothing is a dramatic change,” Heard told Elle magazine in June 2015 after the pair’s nuptials. “We’ve been together for a long time now, so it’s been a fairly organic process. I have a fiercely independent spirit.”

The trouble, however, began right away. Shortly after their marriage, Heard and Depp made headlines when they brought their two dogs, Pistol and Boo, to Australia without proper documentation. The country has strict animal quarantine rules because of its many unique species of flora and fauna.

As a result of their settlement with the nation, the pair later recorded a much-discussed apology video in which they talked about the importance of biosecurity. “Australia’s a wonderful island with a treasure trove of unique plants, animals and people,” Heard began in the video, which was released in April 2016. Depp added, “It has to be protected.”

One month later, the couple called it quits. The Magic Mike XXL actress filed for divorce from Depp in May 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. Two days after filing, Heard accused her estranged husband of domestic violence and obtained a temporary restraining order against him.

A rep for the Finding Neverland actor denied the allegations in a statement at the time, saying: “Given the brevity of this marriage and the most recent and tragic loss of his mother, Johnny will not respond to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life. Hopefully the dissolution of this short marriage will be resolved quickly.”

In August 2016, the pair reached a settlement, and their divorce was finalized in January 2017. The tumult, however, continued long after their split.

Keep scrolling for a look back at all of Depp and Heard’s ups and downs.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.

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March 2009

The twosome met while filming The Rum Diary, which was based on the novel of the same name by Depp’s late friend Hunter S. Thompson. Heard played Chenault, who was the love interest of Depp’s character, Paul.

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2012

The pair began dating the same year that Depp announced his split from longtime partner Paradis. In January 2014, the Kentucky native and the Justice League star got engaged. Heard did not often speak publicly about her then-fiancé, but she rejected the idea that her relationship was helping her gain a leg up in Hollywood. “I haven’t noticed any change in my career,” she told W magazine in May 2014. “And, for better or worse, I’ve always had a love life that seemed particularly salacious to some people.”

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February 2015

The couple tied the knot twice: once at Depp’s home and again in a ceremony on his private island in the Bahamas.

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May 2016

Heard filed for divorce after just over one year of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. She initially accused Depp of domestic violence days after filing divorce paperwork. After Heard showed the court a photo of herself with a bruised face, a judge granted her a temporary restraining order against Depp, who denied her allegations of abuse.

Three months later, the duo reached a divorce settlement and said in a joint statement that they had a “volatile” relationship. “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love,” they said after Heard dismissed her petition for a restraining order. “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.”

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January 2017

The former spouses finalized their divorce five months after reaching a settlement.

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June 2018

Depp filed a libel lawsuit against the U.K. newspaper The Sun after the publication called him a “wife beater” in an article about his involvement in the Fantastic Beasts film series. The trial, originally scheduled to begin in March 2020, was later pushed to July 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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December 2018

Heard published an op-ed in The Washington Post in which she detailed the ways her life had changed after she came forward with her 2016 allegations against Depp. She did not mention him by name, but she referred to a moment “two years” earlier when she “became a public figure representing domestic abuse.”

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2019

In early 2019, Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard over the essay she wrote for The Washington Post. Heard asked the court to throw out the suit, but in August 2021, a Virginia judge ruled that the case could proceed. The actress also filed a $100 million countersuit against Depp, with her lawyers accusing her ex of instigating a smear campaign against her.

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July 2020

The trial for Depp’s libel lawsuit against The Sun began in London. As part of the proceedings, multiple witnesses were called to testify on behalf of Depp and his character, including his ex-girlfriends Paradis and Winona Ryder, who claimed that he was not violent toward them during their relationships.

“I was absolutely shocked, confused and upset when I heard the accusations against him,” Ryder said in her statement. “[The] idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved. I cannot wrap my head around these accusations. He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me.” Paradis, for her part, called him a “kind, attentive, generous and nonviolent person and father.”

During the trial, Depp claimed that Heard had been the aggressor in their alleged domestic violence incidents. Heard stated that her former spouse was the instigator, but she claimed that she once hit him in self-defense.

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November 2020

The High Court of Justice ruled that The Sun‘s article was not libelous because Heard’s allegations were “substantially true.” Depp said at the time that he wanted to fight the judgment, but the court later denied him permission to appeal. Shortly after the verdict, Depp exited the third Fantastic Beasts film, The Secrets of Dumbledore. “I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request,” he wrote via Instagram at the time. Mads Mikkelsen replaced him in the movie, which hit theaters in April 2022.

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April 2022

As the duo’s defamation trial began in Virginia, Heard defended the essay that Depp was suing her over. “I never named him, rather I wrote about the price women pay for speaking against men in power,” she wrote via Instagram. “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 from of the world.”

In opening statements, Heard’s attorney, Ben Rottenborn, claimed that evidence would show that Depp’s alleged abuse against his ex-wife “took many forms” over the years, including sexual abuse. “You will hear in the most graphic and horrifying terms about the violence that she suffered,” the lawyer argued. “You’ll hear that straight from her. She will get on the stand and she will tell you that. It happened.”

Depp, meanwhile, denied the allegations via a spokesperson. “These fictitious claims were never made at the onset of Amber’s allegations in 2016, and only advantageously surfaced years later once she was sued for defamation after noting in her op-ed that she was a victim of ‘sexual violence,'” the rep told E! News at the time. “Words are key in a defamation case and conveniently, this allegation only came after that.”

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April 2022

While taking the stand during his witness testimony, Depp discussed the way his career allegedly suffered as a result of Heard’s accusations.

“It’s pretty strange when one day you’re Cinderella, so to speak, then 0.6 seconds you’re Quasimodo. I didn’t deserve that, nor did my children, nor did the people who have believed in me for all these years,” he stated. “I didn’t want any of those people to believe that I had done them wrong or lied to them or that I was a fraud. I pride myself on honesty.”

Depp explained that he was looking to “clear the record” amid the lengthy legal battle. “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 said while under oath.

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April 2022

Depp concluded his fourth and final day on the stand by stating that he filed the libel suit against Heard because “it was the only time I was able to fight back and use my own voice.” That same day, audio recordings were also played of the actor arguing with Heard, including one where he mentions that the possibility of violence could occur if their fights kept escalating.

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April 2022

In a March 2021 deposition video shown in the courtroom in April 2022, LAPD officer Melissa Saenz — who responded to the alleged incident at Depp and Heard’s residence in May 2016 — claimed that she (Saenez) “did not identify her (Heard) as a victim of domestic violence,” per Deadline. Saenz claimed that she did not file a report because she did not believe there was a crime and noted that neither she nor her partner took notes or photos of the visit. Saenez noted in the testimony that Heard was “red-eyed” and “crying” when she greeted them at the door, and was not making eye contact.

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April 2022

Dr. Shannon Curry, a psychologist for the defense in Depp’s defamation case against Heard, testified that after evaluating the actress over two 12-hour days, “The results of Ms. Heard’s evaluation supported two diagnoses: borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.” Dr. Curry added that she did not see any signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at the time. When the psychologist’s analyses were cross-examined by the defense, Dr. Curry stated that she was not a board-certified doctor and noted that she did not evaluate Depp.

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April 2022

Christian Carino, who previously represented both Depp and Heard, recalled his conversations with the Texas native amid the divorce. In a pre-recorded deposition, Carino read text messages from Heard that stated she wasn’t upset about her split from Elon Musk because she was “just filling space.”

The CAA agent also claimed that Heard told him she missed Depp and attempted to send letters to her estranged husband.

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May 2022

Dr. Dawn Hughes, a clinical and forensic psychologist, testified that Heard suffers from PTSD after a doctor called by Depp’s legal team claimed that the actress does not. Hughes told the court that she believes the cause of Heard’s PTSD is “the intimate partner violence” she allegedly experienced in her relationship with Depp. “That’s what was pushing the symptoms,” she claimed, adding that four tests backed up the diagnosis.

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May 2022

While testifying in court, Heard denied the allegations that she defecated in Depp’s bed during their marriage. When asked if she had intended to play a prank on her then-husband, the Texas native responded: “Absolutely not. Absolutely not. First of all, I don’t think that’s funny. I was not in a pranking mood. My life was falling apart. I had just been attacked on my 30th birthday … It was not really a jovial time and I don’t think that’s funny, period. That’s disgusting.”

Though Heard doesn’t recall seeing anything at the time, she noted that her two dogs, Pistol and Boo, were laying in the bed while she and her friends packed for a trip to Coachella. “[Boo] had eaten Johnny‘s weed when she was a puppy and had bowel control issues for her entire life,” she said, as a possible explanation for the feces.

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May 2022

After taking the stand for cross-examination May 17, Heard admitted she was visited by James Franco the night before filing for divorce against Depp. 

While Heard originally claimed that she did “not know when James came over,” the Drive Angry actress later confirmed the event, explaining why she felt comfortable having the 127 Hours actor in her home.

“He was my friend. And he lived next door, quite literally next door,” she told Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez during the trial. “And I, frankly, had exhausted my support network with my usual friends and was happy to welcome as much friendship at that time as I could possibly get.”

Depp previously said during his own April 21 testimony he believed the actress was having an affair with the Freaks and Geeks alum. 

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June 2022

The trial came to a close when the jury found that Heard defamed her ex-husband and “acted with actual malice.” As a result, she was ordered to pay him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The jury found that Depp’s attorney did make one defamatory statement about Heard and awarded her $2 million in compensatory damages.

“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” Heard told Us in a statement after the verdict. “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband. I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.”

Depp, for his part, said he was “overwhelmed” by the “love and the colossal support and kindness” he received during the trial. “From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome,” the actor, who was not present for the verdict reading, told Us in a statement. “Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.”

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July 2022

Depp appeared to diss his ex-wife on the original song “Sad Motherf—kin’ Parade,” featured on his and Jeff Beck’s album, 18. In the song, the actor sings, “You’re sitting there like a dog with a seven-year itch / If I had a dime, it wouldn’t reach your hand,” which some fans think is a comment about his and Heard’s divorce.

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August 2022

The actress secured a new team to lead her appeal following Depp’s win in the exes’ defamation trial. David L. Axelrod and Jay Ward Brown will join Ben Rottenborn as Heard’s counsel, with Elaine Charlson Bredehoft stepping down. “We’re confident the appellate court will apply the law properly without deference to popularity, reverse the judgment against Ms. Heard and reaffirm the fundamental principles of Freedom of Speech,” the lawyers said in a press release.

A spokesperson for Heard added in a statement at the time, “When it comes to protecting the fundamental right of Freedom of Speech, we look at the jury’s decision — to paraphrase a famous quote — not ‘as the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning.’ A different court warrants different representation, particularly as so much new evidence is now coming to light.”

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November 2022

Four months after their headline-grabbing defamation case, Depp filed his own appeal, arguing that the jury was unable to prove that his former lawyer, Adam Waldman, acted in malice when he told a media outlet that Heard had lied about being assaulted. According to TMZ, the Kentucky native also claimed that he should not be forced to pay his ex-wife the $2 million she was awarded in damages since he did not make the alleged statement.

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December 2022

Heard announced via Instagram that she and Depp settled their Virginia defamation lawsuit. “It’s important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed,” she wrote. “The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimised when they come forward. Now I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to. I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.”

After discussing the aftermath of the high-profile trial, Heard declared that she would continue advocating for survivors of abuse. “I will not be threatened, disheartened or dissuaded by what happened from speaking the truth,” she added. “No one can and no one will take that from me. My voice forever remains the most valuable asset I have.”

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December 2022

The Edward Scissorhands star revealed that he would donate his $1 million settlement to a number of different charities. 

“We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light,” Depp’s attorneys, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vazquez, told E! News in an official statement on December 19. “The jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp’s favour against Ms. Heard remain fully in place.”

The statement continued, “The payment of $1M – which Mr. Depp is pledging and will (actually) donate to charities – reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgement of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice.”