Actress Amber Heard says she doesn’t blame the jury but believes social media played an “unfair” role in the coverage surrounding the case and slammed “testimony from paid employees” and “randos.”
Amber Heard lays down blame for outcome of her trial
Actress Amber Heard, 36, sat down for her first interview since the trial involving her ex-husband Johnny Depp in which she blamed social media and testimony from paid employees and random people for the outcome.
The jury decided in favor of Depp in the defamation trial, awarding him over $10 million.
Paid employees and randos at fault
“How could they not come to that conclusion?” Heard asked rhetorically, during an interview with NBC. “They had sat in those seats and heard over three weeks of nonstop relentless testimony from paid employees, and towards the end of the trial, randos, as I say.”
“Rando” is a slang term for random people who have no shared connection, are not known, and are not recognizable, especially someone regarded as odd, suspicious, unpredictable, or engaging in socially inappropriate behavior.
Does not blame the jury
The jury unanimously found that Heard defamed Depp, awarding him $10 million in damages. Heard seemed to imply that Depp’s fame played a role in the jury’s decision.
“I don’t blame them,” Heard said, referring to the jury’s verdict.
“I actually understand,” Heard continued. “He’s [Depp] a beloved character and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”
Heard blames social media for unfair role
Heard’s attorneys, without supporting evidence, insisted the jury was influenced by social media. The jury was not sequestered during the trial, however, they were instructed throughout the proceedings to stay off social media and not read any related news coverage.
Heard, who plans to appeal the verdict, emphasized this, the HuffPost reported.
“Even somebody who is sure I’m deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying, you still couldn’t tell me — look me in the eye and tell me — that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation,” Heard said. “You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”
NBC cited social media TikTok stats making a comparison between hashtags such as #justiceforjohnnydepp with nearly 20 billion views, while #justiceforamberheard had over 80 million. Hashtags like #amberheardisguilty had 900 million views on social media at that time.
