WARNING: This post will deal with the difficult topic of domestic abuse.
When Amber Heard filed for divorce from her husband Johnny Depp on May 23rd, citing irreconcilable differences, soon after his mother had passed away, the world was pretty shocked. Then she filed for a restraining order against Depp, and evidence of his domestic violence came to light, and the world was even more shocked. As often happens with high profile violence cases (think Rihanna x Chris Brown, Madonna x Sean Penn), the first thing to happen was people refusing to believe it was true.
This Tumblr post pretty much sums it up:
Credit: Tumblr
Despite Heard providing significant evidence, including pictures of her bruises, independent witnesses and police files, the world will not believe that one of their idols is capable of this horrendous act. Many people have recently come out in defence of the actor, his ex-wife Lori Anne Allison maintaining that he is a “soft person” who never even raised his voice. His daughter Lily-Rose and her mother Vanessa Paradis have also made posts and spoken to TMZ in support of him, Paradis saying that these claims are simply “outrageous”. Lily-Rose shared these two photos to her Instagram.
The internet and media sites have pretty clearly taken Johnny’s side in many different ways, with large outlets reporting that the bruises are faked and that since she was out and smiling just the day after court proceedings, she must be lying, because domestic abuse victims just aren’t allowed to have good moments/days. Aren’t allowed to be happy when they’re granted restraining orders against their abusers.
Depp’s lawyer’s have added fuel to the fire by releasing a statement that Heard is making up these allegations to hurry the divorce proceedings and receive a larger payout, not-so-subtly insinuating that she’s a gold digger.
There’s a lot of things wrong with the way domestic abuse victims are treated in society, and this case is just another example. Here’s the Aussie ad released recently that aims to battle against it.
We’ll keep you updated as the story progresses.
UPDATE 12:00 PM 30/5/16: Doug Stanhope, a comedian and friend of Depp, as written an article for TheWrap claiming that Heard has been manipulative all throughout their marriage, and maintains that this is just another ploy to get the most out of her partnership with Depp. The explosive article repeatedly calls Heard an abusive asshole, saying she’s been fucking with the actor ever since they began dating.
If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic abuse, you can call 1800 737 732 24/7 for counselling and support.
