‘Amber Heard v Johnny Depp’ has turned into trial by TikTok – and we’re all the worse for it | Amelia Tait

Screaming fans have spread deranged rumours and mocked accusations of abuse that should be taken seriously

Say what you like about Amber Heard - no, seriously, do. You can say that the actor took a bump of cocaine while on the stand during one of the most high-profile defamation cases of the century. You can say she stole lines from The Talented Mr Ripley and recited them in court while testifying about her relationship with fellow actor Johnny Depp. On social media, you can say both of these baseless, untrue things, and many others besides.

In the past week, both of these unfounded claims have been spreading faster than wildfire. For those of you unfamiliar with the saga of Depp and Heard, bear with me: in June 2018, Depp sued News Group Newspapers - the company that publishes the Sun - after the paper alleged he was a wife beater". Later that year, Heard published an op-ed about sexual violence in the Washington Post (Depp wasn't mentioned in the piece). Depp lost his libel battle against the Sun in London's high court in November 2020, after the judge found the majority of alleged assaults made by Depp against Heard were proved to the civil standard" (on the balance of probabilities). He is now suing the Washington Post in Fairfax, Virginia, for defamation over Heard's op-ed.

Amelia Tait is a writer on tech and internet phenomena

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