Roughly two months ago, news broke that Amber Heard was filing for divorce from Johnny Depp, citing irreconcilable differences. In the divorce petition, Heard asks for spousal support, which Depp’s attorney’s asked the judge to deny. Days after the filing the media learned that Heard was also accusing Depp of being physically and emotionally abusive. It was also learned that Depp’s mother, Betty Sue Palmer had died only three days before Heard’s filing.
Only four days after the divorce filing, Amber Heard filed for and was granted a restraining order against Depp. She appeared in court with a bruise under her right eye that she claims was from a cell phone Depp threw at her.
I remember the first film I saw with Johnny Depp. It was the late 80s and my mother had finally allowed my brother and I to watch “Nightmare on Elm Street”. In this cheesy horror film a very young Johnny Depp is sucked into a hole in his bed where he is transformed into a geyser of blood that crawls up the ceiling. I have been hooked on Johnny since.From “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” to “Benny & Joon” and even his weird collaborations with Tim Burton, Depp’s films are some of my favorites. But, just because I am a fan of his work does not mean that I dismiss Amber Heard’s claims simply because they tear down an artist I look up to. The internet has become a court of “accuse now, ask for proof later” commenters. But what is worse than that is its almost always the victim who receives the backlash. Comments on news articles about the accusations ranged from sympathy for Heard to calling her a skank for asking for spousal support.
After a few months of image and video leaks showing a volatile relationship between Heard and Depp, the internet continued to come to Johnny’s defense. According to the internet the star, who is known to dress as Jack Sparrow and visit sick children, was too kind to ever be physically abusive with anyone. But here is the thing. None of us knows what goes on behind closed doors. While I believe statements from Depp’s previous partners about the kindness displayed in their marriage, that doesn’t make me immediately want to discredit Heard.
Earlier last week, Heard and Depp’s divorce was officially granted with Amber receiving a $7 million dollar settlement. The restraining order was withdrawn and a joint statement was released. “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love,” Depp and Heard said.
While I do not call this an admission of guilt on Depp’s part, I definitely believe that it is an acknowledgement of sh**ty behavior. Heard has since announced that she intends to donate the full amount to two charities: ACLU (with a focus on stopping violence against women) and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Can you imagine what a difference that $7 million will make for these two charities? That money will possibly save the life of a child or provide a battered mother and her children with a fresh start. And yet, it is still not enough to satisfy the trolls of the internet.
The arm chair police are out in full effect this week, calling Heard a lesbian (at one point she was in a romantic relationship with a woman) and accusing her of donating the money just to save face in the public eye.
Every single time a male celebrity is accused of raping, beating, or harming a female they are almost always put in the victim seat instead. While a large majority of people in my generation think of Bill Cosby as a rapist, my parents generation (the ones who grew up with Bill the comedian) have a hard time accepting that Dr. Huxtable would ever drug and rape a woman. These accusers must be after money, fame, or both. But these artists are also just men. They are men with anger issues and narcissistic personalities who are no different than the rapists and wife beaters that we read about in local news. They have money and they have a community of supporters outside of their family – that is it.
We often wonder why victims of rape and spousal abuse don’t come forward as the abuse happens. We really don’t have to look much farther the comments section of every article that discusses a celebrity taking advantage of a female companion.
Johnny Depp has anger issues and at times, he took that anger out on the woman he supposedly loved. And while we don’t know exactly what happened behind closed doors, we do know that it has been turned into something positive. Amber Heard donated money to charities that she believes in. She is not a skank or a gold digger or a bitch that is out to damage the image of a beloved artist. She is a woman that loved a man and she is now trying to move on with her life. Maybe it’s time we let her.
