When news broke that Amber Heard, the 30-year-old actress married to Johnny Depp, had filed for divorce after being married for just 15 months, it seemed as though they would join the likes of Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry on the list of the many comically short-lived marriages Hollywood has seen over the years.
The timing seemed odd, even cruel- just days beforehand, Depp had lost his mother. Things felt even more odd after Depp’s representatives made a formal statement asking people not to believe “malicious lies”, even though no mainstream publications had come forward with accusations of infidelity or any other major issues.
Now, we know why things didn’t add up- or, at least Heard’s side of the story.
Amber has been granted a domestic violence restraining order that requires Depp stay 100 metres away from her at all times. She claims that throughout the entire relationship, she has “endured excessive emotional, verbal and physical abuse” and that she filed for divorce immediately after a violent encounter that occurred soon after the passing of Johnny’s mother. In this alleged incident Johnny became extremely angry and swung a wine bottle at her, and later threw a cell phone at her face in full force, leaving her bruised and swollen. She called the police following the event, but they did not find sufficient evidence of abuse, and she chose not to make a statement.
She also alleges other abuse throughout the marriage including him grabbing her and pulling her hair, as well as smashing bottles against the wall to leave her scared and intimidated. She believes that drug and alcohol abuse have contributed to the abuse.
Depp’s lawyers claim that these allegations are a tactic to gain spousal support and a financial settlement in the divorce.
Unfortunately, Johnny Depp is not the only popular and powerful celebrity to be accused (but not proven to be responsible) of violence. From acclaimed directors to star athletes to former Presidents, many powerful men have faced public allegations ranging from harassment to battery to rape, but have not faced criminal charges.
While there are few details at this time regarding the allegations, it is likely that they will be reverently denied by Depp, underreported in the media, and regardless of what did or did not happen, Johnny Depp will probably be just fine.
Comments are closed.