Why Did Johnny Depp, Amber Heard Divorce? Trial, Why He Sued Her

After such a raucous trial, fans want a more profound breakdown into the ashes of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard divorce. They want to know what prompted the end of the 15-month marriage. Their relationship seemed to crash as fast as the love for each other burned. 

The catalyst of their relationship trademarks to 2009 as the two were on set for the film The Rum Diary. The film was directed by Bruce Robinson and was based on a novel by Hunter S. Thompson, and it was about a journalist who moves to Puerto Rico and becomes infatuated with a woman entangled with another businessman. Depp played the journalist and Heard played Chenault, the female protagonist. When recalling the sparks of their relationship, Heard told Vogue in 2011, “Working with Johnny was torture. It was better than I had ever imagined, which is really saying something.”

Here’s the timeline of their relationship and what eventually led to a messy, public divorce.

• Why did Johnny Depp and Amber Heard divorce?

  

  Why did Johnny Depp and Amber Heard divorce? After 15 months of marriage, it was revealed to the public how much abuse played a part. According to PEOPLE, Heard said, “Johnny has a long-held and widely-acknowledged public and private history of drug and alcohol abuse,” she says in her declaration. “He has a short fuse. He is often paranoid and his temper is extremely scary for me as it has proven many times to be physically dangerous and/or life-threatening to me.” Here’s their relationship timeline.

• 2011: Heard and Depp begin to date

  

  Around the end of 2011, and the beginning of 2012, Depp and Heard began to date as Depp and his partner at the time Vanessa Paradis announced their breakup. The two had been together for fourteen years, Depp fathering two children with her: Lily-Rose Depp who’s now 24 years old, and John Christopher Depp III who’s 21 years old. While Depp was with long-term partner Paradis, Heard was also in a relationship. Heard was with Tasra Van Ree since 2008 and they had split at the same time as the rising relationship in 2012.

  According to the Today Show, when Depp recalls the shower scene exchanged with Heard he said, “That moment, was, it was, it felt like something, it felt like something I should not be feeling,” Depp said, explaining they were each in other relationships at the time. “I think there was something in the kiss in the shower that was real.” The two couldn’t help the feelings that began to grow even though they were in different relationships with long-term partners.  Depp and Heard dated from 2012 roughly up until 2014 before Heard was spotted with an engagement ring.

• 2014: Amber Heard and Johnny Depp are engaged

  

  People Magazine and USA Today Life made reports on Heard’s engagement ring, and at a press conference in Beijing for Transcendence, Depp said “The fact that I’m wearing a chick’s ring on my finger is probably a dead giveaway.

• 2015: Amber Heard and Johnny Depp are married

  

  By 2015, the two of them got married on Depp’s private island in the Bahamas. Friends said the day was wonderful, a low-key celebration, with Heard even reportedly doing her own makeup. “Johnny’s private island is a tropical paradise. Wedding guests were treated to an amazing weekend that ended with a romantic beach ceremony,” one told People magazine at the time. “Guests relaxed on the beaches, had fun snorkeling and enjoyed food cooked by private chefs. Everyone seemed to have the best time. It was a very celebratory vibe.

• 2016: Amber Heard files for divorce from Johnny Depp

  

  One year later, Heard filed for divorce on May 23rd of 2016. Then, four days later she filed for a restraining order with claims of abuse about Depp as she had visible marks of injury. According to PEOPLE, Heard said, “Johnny has a long-held and widely-acknowledged public and private history of drug and alcohol abuse,” she says in her declaration. “He has a short fuse. He is often paranoid and his temper is extremely scary for me as it has proven many times to be physically dangerous and/or life-threatening to me.” What started out as a blossoming romance, as their love literally began from a romance film soon turned into a horror.

  The two of them reached a settlement of $7 million which was given to Heard on August 16th of 2016. The restraining order that Heard asked for was given on the day of the Alice Through the Looking Glass premiere, Depp’s most recent film at the time. Depp denied the accusations as his representatives believed it was “attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse” according to Insider. Heard eventually dropped the restraining order and revoked her request for $50,000 in spousal support monthly. After, both of them said, “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love,” the pair said in a joint statement. “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm,” per AP News. 

• 2016: Allegations against Johnny Depp

  According to PEOPLE, Heard had filed restraints after Depp assaulted her after her 30th birthday party. Heard had also said that Depp threw a phone at her “as hard as he could.” This information was obtained from transcripts by The Hollywood Reporter. 

• 2017: Amber Heard, Johnny Depp's divorce is finalized

  Why did Johnny Depp and Amber Heard divorce? After 15 months of marriage, it was revealed to the public how much abuse played a part. In 2016, the two of them reached a settlement of $7 million which was given to Heard on August 16th of 2016. The restraining order that Heard asked for was given on the day of the Alice Through the Looking Glass premiere, Depp’s most recent film at the time. Depp denied the accusations as his representatives believed it was “attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse” according to Insider.

  Heard eventually dropped the restraining order and revoked her request for $50,000 in spousal support monthly. After, both of them said, “Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love,” the pair said in a joint statement. “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm,” via AP News. Their divorce was finalized in 2017 and Depp kept sole possession of properties including his private island on the Bahamas and collections of motorcycles and cars.

• 2018: Amber Heard writes op-ed for Washington Post

  

  In 2018, Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post speaking about her experience being abused and the culture of the Hollywood industry. According to PEOPLE, she wrote, “I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.” She didn’t mention Depp by name but the public began to see Depp as a “wife-beater.”

• 2019: Depp sues Heard for defamation

  When Depp sued Heard for $50 million for defamation in 2019, abuse claims from Depp’s side were revealed. In 2020, phone recordings were released of Heard admitting and saying the difference between her hitting Depp. In the phone recordings, according to Daily Mail, Heard is indeed heard saying, “I’m sorry that I didn’t … hit you across the face in a proper slap, but I was hitting you, it was not punching you. Babe, you’re not punched. “I don’t know what the motion of my actual hand was, but you’re fine, I did not hurt you, I did not punch you, I was hitting you.”

  There was more in the recording as Depp said: “I left last night. Honestly, I swear to you because I just couldn’t take the idea of more physicality, more physical abuse on each other.” Heard responded with, “I can’t promise you I won’t get physical again. God, I f—ing sometimes get so mad I lose it.” Also, in the trial, Depp accuses Heard of defecating in his bed and also punching him. Two accusations are denied by Heard. 

• 2020: Depp v Heard in London begins

  

  Across their trial after Depp and Heard’s divorce, Depp tries to regain his innocence as Heard’s op-ed paints an image of Depp as a sole domestic abuser and Heard as an assault victim. According to The Rolling Stone, “The suit said that Heard “is not a victim of domestic abuse, she is a perpetrator,” and denied that Depp ever abused her. Instead, the suit said that Heard’s allegations were part of an “elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity” for the actress.” According to Variety, Heard detailed multiple experiences of abuse and assault and referred to Depp as “the monster.” 

  On November 2nd at the High Court in London, the court ruled in Heard’s favor, agreeing that The Sun was correct in describing Depp as violent towards Heard. In effect of the court’s ruling, Depp had to resign his role as Grindewald in Fantastic Beasts 3. The divorce between Depp and Heard was physically abusive but such turmoil didn’t last just inside their marriage, but trickled down into the next two and a half years.

  Depp tried to appeal the decision in both 2020 and 2021 but was denied an appeal by Judge Nicol who said: “I do not consider that the proposed grounds of appeal have a reasonable prospect of success.” 

• April 2022: Depp v Heard libel trial begins

  

  Then in 2022, the libel lawsuit for $100 million began in April of that year. Many were involved in the case as executives from Disney and Warner Bros. had to give evidence and statements. Not to mention the actor James Franco and the CEO of Twitter and Tesla, Elon Musk. From Depp and Heard’s divorce, the opposing lawyers had much to say about each other’s clients.

  Heard’s lawyer J. Benjamin Rottenborn spoke of the mercy Heard gave to Depp by the little and discreet details she gave about Depp. “She could fill a book with those details. She would have told you about the monster, but she didn’t. That wasn’t the point of this article,” Rottenborn said, per People. “Because Johnny Depp brought this case, all of that is going to come out. Just know Amber Heard didn’t want to unearth for the public who the real Johnny Depp is … You’ll see the real Johnny Depp, behind the pirate costume.”

  Whereas, Depp’s lawyer Benjamin Chew recounted Heard as a liar, and said: “By choosing to lie about her husband for her own personal benefit, Amber Heard chose to ruin his reputation,” he added.

• June 2022: Court finds in favor of Depp

  

  On June 1st, the LA Times put out an article declaring the winning of Depp’s lawsuit. Depp had sued her for $50 million, and Heard countersued for double. The judge awarded Depp $10 million for compensatory damages plus an additional $5 million for damages in the trial. Yet, they were immediately reduced to $350,000. Heard was given $2 million in compensatory damages based on the accusation that “she and her friends created a hoax that included roughing up her apartment to look worse for police,” which was an accusation from Depp’s prior attorney Adam Waldman after the article about assault came out. 

  In a final statement, Heard said: “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. … It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”