Emma Thompson Weighs in on Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Verdict

Both Depp, 59, and Heard, 36, had accused each other of domestic violence during their six-week trial, which aired live on TV and online and spurred fan-made video clips to go viral. While ruling that the actress defamed her ex with her article, the Virginia jury also ruled in her favor on one counterclaim against her ex, ordering him to pay her $2 million in damages because his lawyer called her accusations a “hoax.” 

Heard first made her allegations against Depp when she filed for divorce in 2016. In a statement issued following his legal victory, he said, “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people, who for many, many years have supported and believed in my were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye.”

He said the “false” allegations “triggered an endless barrage of hateful content.” Depp continued, “It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career. And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”