Anyone accustomed to hours spent browsing Twitter or TikTok has seen the abundance of commentary about the Depp v. Heard defamation lawsuit taking place over the last few weeks. Amber Heard wrote a controversial op-ed in 2018 accusing Depp of domestic abuse, which Depp asserted led to his disclusion from several high-profile Hollywood gigs, causing him to sue her for “defamation of character.” As a result of the pair’s back and forth accusations, Heard is also attempting to counter sue him later this year.
On TikTok, the coverage of the case includes live streams of the trial, videos analyzing Amber Heard’s reactions, lawyers criticizing the defense lawyers’ tactics, Heard’s voice used as the basis of a joke and an abundance of support for Johnny Depp, coupled with intensely personal criticism of Heard.
If you have not kept up with the years of back-and-forth in the media over the validity of domestic violence claims on both sides of this relationship, it is important to understand that not all the evidence boils down to this trial. Heard and Depp’s marriage counselor called their dynamic one of “mutual abuse.” While legal professionals and tabloids alike continue to publicize their opinions, there are no clear answers. No matter how much the internet makes it seem like Depp is absolutely innocent and Heard is absolutely guilty, right now we do not know for sure what happened or who is to blame.
This uncertainty has not stopped TikTok from taking a firm stance against Heard. Hashtags like #amberturd have been trending, spreading her “fail” moments in trial and bashing her character is more popular than ever. Commentary videos criticizing her for “lying,” pointing out the inconsistencies in her statements or explaining the trial have become very popular, some reaching millions of views.
Whether or not Heard is innocent, these creators are taking advantage of a celebrity couple’s pain for profit. This is not new in the media; we hear about new and old celebrity couples and their drama all the time, but the involvement of the public has been taken a step further. We are so desensitized to intense topics like abuse that TikTok creators and consumers are bringing an inappropriate level of levity to the situation.
While it’s true Heard has been caught in many lies, this situation has been deemed mutual on multiple occasions, so I invite the audience of these videos to consider: what if she is telling a partial truth? If even part of what she says is true, how horrible is it to be mocked on the internet for how you handle yourself during a traumatic trial?
Regardless of her part played in the abuse, or her proven manipulation, this situation is setting a dangerous precedent for court cases in the public sphere. Neither Heard nor Depp will return to a normal career or life after this. The whole world knows too much, and they are learning it through a filtered lens. Court cases with high-profile participants have always been a hot topic of conversation while they occur, but the level of involvement occurring in the public as they watch live streams and commentators has reached an unprecedented level. The concern with this is the use of the courts as a form of public entertainment and a means of gaining further fame for those involved. Of course, Judge Judy has already tapped into the niche, but the famous nature of the participants drastically increases the size of the audience.
Another element to be considered with this case especially is how it addresses domestic abuse and affects gender expectations in that regard. In the wake of the Me Too movement people in Hollywood are hyper-aware of male-on-female assault or abuse, but continue to gloss over the possibility of abuse in the opposite direction. One good thing to come out of the high amount of publicity and support for Depp coming out of this trial is that people are acknowledging that men can also experience abuse. No matter the truth of the situation or the ultimate decision of the courts, huge strides towards equality have been made with the discussion of domestic abuse occurring in the online communities analyzing this trial.
