Amber Heard Once Called Out Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp as Part of a ‘Trend’
Johnny Depp’s defamation suit against former wife Amber Heard has captured people’s attention worldwide. A complicated piece of the Me Too puzzle, the trial has proven divisive and perplexing. It’s left fans glued to the courtroom ahead of the verdict. While comparing Depp to Marilyn Manson and other powerful men accused of abuse, Heard continues to stand her ground both in and out of court. And with Heard’s counter lawsuit against Depp still pending as well, this story isn’t going away anytime soon.
The Johnny Depp lawsuit against Amber Heard has divided the public
To understand the Depp-Heard trial, you need to go back to 2016-2018, when it all started hitting the fan. As detailed by Vox in an extensive breakdown of the trial, Heard left Depp and filed a restraining order just before the Harvey Weinstein allegations launched the Me Too movement. But after the initial swell of allegations against Depp, Heard seemed to backtrack. She joined Depp with a public statement that said, “There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.”
Then it got even more complicated. Heard penned a Washington Post op-ed in December 2018 that described domestic abuse. Then, Depp quickly filed a $50 million lawsuit against her despite the op-ed not saying his name. Depp also sued the publisher of British tabloid The Sun for calling him a “wife beater,” although the judge in the London-based trial came down hard against Depp. In the end, the lawsuit was dismissed, and the judge was emphatic, saying, “I accept that she [Heard] was the victim of sustained and multiple assaults by Mr. Depp in Australia.”
Now Depp’s lawsuit against Heard is reaching its climax in Fairfax, Virginia. Both sides have claimed they were victims of abuse and have testified about specific moments throughout the course of their relationship.
Heard connects her alleged abuse to Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood
The lawsuit by Depp hasn’t kept Heard from speaking out. In February 2021, Heard tweeted an article breaking down goth-rocker Marilyn Manson’s alleged abuse of actor Evan Rachel Wood. Heard even had a fiery response for a Twitter user who called her a “fraud.” Wasting no time, Heard referred to “over-indulged white male celebrities (who happen to be world famous.)” She appeared to link Depp to Manson.
In the New Yorker piece Heard cites, Manson’s alleged abuse against Wood and others is laid bare. Wood had previously testified to a House judiciary subcommittee as a part of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act. In the testimony, she spoke of everything from emotional and physical abuse to outright rape.
Heard’s allegations differ from those Wood made against Manson. But, the Aquaman actor appears focused on an entertainment-based culture that continues to protect powerful white men.
Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp have a history
Over the years, Manson and Depp bonded. They even have matching skeleton tattoos on their backs. During the ongoing defamation trial, Depp himself testified that he used cocaine and marijuana with Manson. He explained that at one point (per EW), he gave a pill to Manson “so that he would stop talking so much.”
Beyond a supposed friendship between the two, Heard’s comparison of Depp and Manson is more about a broader cultural problem. It’s also worth noting Manson’s defense of his own conduct. Via Instagram, he stated his “intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners.”
According to the Independent, closing arguments in the trial are set to be heard near the end of May, with a verdict expected soon after that. Heard also has a pending $100 million countersuit that will play out at some point after the current trial wraps.
