The trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard will resume on Monday (April 25) after Depp was questioned by Heard’s lawyers last week.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing Heard, who divorced Depp in 2016, for defamation over a 2018 comment in which she suggested he abused her. Depp is seeking $50million (£39million) in damages over the Washington Post column, which he claims directly impacted his Hollywood career.
Heard, in turn, has filed a countersuit, accusing Depp of allegedly staging a “smear campaign” against her and calling his own lawsuit a continuation of “abuse and harassment.” She has asked for $100m (£78m) in damages, as well as immunity from Depp’s claims.
Depp has testified about a traumatic childhood with an abusive mother and claims his relationship with Heard reflects that, also accusing her of “bullying” him.
The high-profile trial, which is currently being streamed live on court television, has garnered significant attention on social media since it began on Tuesday (April 19).
Some people have condemned 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.
Melbourne-based online storefront Redbubble, which stocks designs by independent creatives, is currently returning 106 results for Johnny Depp Trial products. These include t-shirts with the words “Justice for Johnny” and “Fck Amber” in multiple color and style options.
Screenshot of Redbubble’s storefront selling Johnny Depp sample items
(red bubble)
CoolPopTees is currently selling a “Team Johnny Depp” t-shirt that fans of the actor spotted outside the Fairfax County Courthouse where the defamation trial is ongoing.
Meanwhile, Urban Dictionary’s e-commerce platform is selling a $33 (£26) ‘Amber Heard’ mug imprinted with one of the actor’s descriptions, calling her ‘an actress who doesn’t even and is best known for divorcing Johnny Depp and then lying to the media about her relationship with him.”
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This mug comes in nine colors and has over 180 reviews online.
Urban Dictionary is selling defamatory “Amber Heard” mugs for $33
(city dictionary)
Fans on Twitter have slammed the sale of merchandise surrounding the process as “deaf” and “weird,” with one user calling it “gross.”
“Something about people literally making merch related to Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp makes me very, very VERY uncomfortable,” another person tweeted.
The Independent has reached out to Redbubble for comment.
There was a similar backlash over the “insane” nature of online discussion surrounding the domestic abuse trial, including Depp’s responses to Heard’s attorney Ben Rottenborn during cross-examination.
“The memification of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s trial taking center stage [around] Intimate partner violence is … worrying,” commented one Twitter user.
“Just came across a TikTok from someone who makes and SELLS Johnny Depp t-shirts and quotes from the current process. I can’t BEGIN to describe why this is incredibly inappropriate and disrespectful, not only from the perspective of both, but BOTH sides,” wrote another fan, calling the social media frenzy over the process “terrible”.
As the trial enters its third week on Monday (April 25), there is speculation as to who will testify after Depp.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and actor James Franco are both listed as potential witnesses for Heard, with both scheduled to appear via video conference if called to the booth.
Follow live updates from the study here.