Johnny Depp: How the actor’s behavior in the Amber Heard trial went viral

Johnny Depp is set to take another stand this week in his ongoing defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

More than two weeks after his last appearance on the stand, Depp will be summoned by the defense to testify on Monday (May 23). He will be the third witness, followed by an anatomy expert and an intimate partner violence expert.

Depp is suing Heard for $50m (£38.2m). He alleges that Heard implied he abused her in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed about domestic violence.

Heard is filing a $100million (£80.9million) counterclaim accusing Depp of organizing a “defamation campaign” against her and calling his lawsuit a continuation of “abuse and harassment”.

Since the trial, which is ongoing in Fairfax County, Virginia, began on April 11, supporters of Depp have shared their favorite courtroom moments on social media platforms.

The hashtag #teamjohnnydepp has almost 80 million views on TikTok.

In a viral clip shared to Twitter, Depp can be seen in his car near the courthouse as a fan tells him, “You’ll always be our Captain Jack Sparrow!”

The actor wowed viewers by responding with his voice Pirates of the Caribbean character and replies, “He’s still somewhere around. I see him every now and then. He shows up every now and then.”

Last week, in another moment that went viral online, Depp joked that he made waffles for his fans when he arrived at the courthouse.

On Thursday, May 19, Depp greeted his jubilant supporters outside the courtroom before the start of the trial, declaring he made “breakfast for them all.”

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“Waffles,” Mr Depp quipped when asked what he made. Fans pointed out that the actor was joking.

A clip of Depp laughing while asking a witness whether or not he saw the actor’s genitals during an alleged incident was widely circulated.

Among the trial-related content on TikTok are several videos devoted to unfounded online rumors of a romantic relationship between Depp and his attorney, Camille Vasquez.

A video set to Joji’s sentimental song “Sanctuary” and edited with a pink filter has been viewed more than 3.5 million times. The clip is captioned, “Srsly, am I the only one sending them?”

Vasquez previously laughed and shook his head in response to a paparazzi who asked her about the rumors of a relationship outside the courthouse.

Body language experts have suggested that the frequent touching and hugging between Depp and Vasquez were engineered to make Depp appear softer and more sympathetic to viewers.

Vasquez himself has found tremendous fame on social media, with the hashtag #camillevasquez racking up more than 980 million TikTok impressions. A video shared last week of the lawyer’s quick objections has garnered 33.3 million views and 6.1 million likes.

Other TikTok videos have compared Vasquez to Rachel Zane, Meghan Markle’s character on the hit legal drama suits.

In another moment, Depp caused laughter around the gallery when he quipped that every hour is “happy hour” and recalled doing drugs with Marilyn Manson.

Much of the video circulating on social media has praised Depp’s behavior during the trial, but others have criticized the star for being superficial and unaccommodating.

Many people have also questioned the nature of fan engagement in relation to a defamation lawsuit involving serious allegations of domestic violence.

Some fans have criticized the sale of “gross” merchandise surrounding the trial, including t-shirts, stickers, mugs and even blankets with quotes from Depp’s testimony and anti-Heard statements written on them.

AIndependently The writer said, “It has become too easy for us to feel so distant and so distant, sheltered by the glow of our computer screens, that many of us seem to have forgotten one crucial thing about being human: our empathy.”

“I think we all need to take a good look at ourselves and decide if what we’re laughing at is really that amusing,” they wrote.

Elsewhere, another writer for The Independent condemned the “intolerable memory” of the trial and wrote about some of the “really bizarre theories” being circulated on TikTok.

“The process by which we digest other people’s anguish and cough it up in the form of memes is a complete lack of empathy. This is a process, not the Super Bowl or the Met Gala,” they wrote.

Follow live updates of the study here.

Over the weekend, Courtney Love spoke out for Depp, claiming he once saved her life with CPR after she overdosed outside the Viper Club Room in Los Angeles in 1995.

The dispute between Depp and Heard has drawn reactions from a number of high-profile celebrities. Here is an overview of the celebrities who have expressed their support for Heard, while here is a list of the celebrities who have supported Depp.