Johnny Depp Threw Shade At Ex Amber Heard Through His Tattoo Dedicated to Her
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s divorce is one of the most publicized breakups Hollywood has ever seen. And their days in court aren’t over yet, with Depp currently suing Heard for defamation and the publisher of the U.K.’s Sun tabloid for libel.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star isn’t hiding his feelings about his volatile relationship with his ex, appearing to throw shade with the latest change to a tattoo in her honor.
What happened between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard?
Depp and Heard met in 2009 while filming The Rum Diary. At the time, both were in relationships. Depp was still with long-time partner, Vanessa Paradis, while Heard was dating artist Tasya van Ree.
Depp and Paradis split in 2012, around the same time as Heard and van Ree. Heard and Depp began dating shortly after and were engaged in 2014. They married in February 2015. But just over a year later, Heard filed for divorce and obtained a temporary restraining order, accusing Depp of verbal and physical abuse.
At the time, according to The Hollywood Reporter, she alleged that Depp threw his phone and bruised her face. Police found no evidence to support this, and Depp has vehemently denied these charges.
The couple eventually settled out of court, with Heard receiving $7 million, which she donated to charity, per Cosmopolitan.
They released a joint statement, according to The Guardian, which read in part, “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. There was never an intent of physical or emotional harm. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gains.”
They finalized the divorce in 2017. As part of the settlement, the couple agreed to a nondisparagement clause, to keep either party from saying anything negative about their highly publicized relationship.
What’s the deal with Depp’s tattoo?
Shortly after getting married, Depp had SLIM, his pet name for Heard, tattooed on his knuckles. But during their vicious divorce proceedings in 2016, he had the tattoo re-inked to read SCUM, according to Us Weekly.
A year after their divorce, Depp went a step further, getting the ink reworked yet again.
This time, according to TMZ, he had a red anarchy A placed over the U on his middle finger, so that it now says SCAM. This isn’t the first time Depp has had one of his tattoos altered. After his breakup with Winona Ryder, he famously had his “Winona Forever” tat changed to “Wino Forever.”
Who is Depp currently suing?
In December 2018, Heard penned an op-ed for the Washington Post about being a victim of domestic abuse. While she never explicitly named Depp, he filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against her in 2019.
According to Deadline, the suit claims that Heard’s allegations are an “elaborate hoax, to generate positive publicity for Ms. Heard and advance her career,” and caused Depp to lose out on a role in an upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean reboot. The suit is ongoing.
Meanwhile, Heard and Depp have been going head to head in a London courtroom. Depp is currently suing News Group Newspapers, publisher of the British tabloid The Sun for libel, due to a 2018 article that called him a “wife beater.”
The hearings began July 7, 2020, with the ex-couple both appearing as witnesses. The dramatic three-week trial revealed an inside look into their toxic relationship. According to USA Today, bombshell testimony included claims of violent arguments, substance abuse, hurled glass bottles, a severed fingertip, and affairs.
The trial wrapped up on July 28, and a judge should hand down his verdict in several weeks.
