'Believe all women except Amber Heard': Chris Rock

Here's where A-listers stand on the Johnny v Amber trial. 

From Penelope Cruz to Joe Rogan to Elon Musk - here are who these celebrities are backing.

"Believe all women except Amber Heard."

Those were the words of comedian Chris Rock, who used his latest show in London as an opportunity to weigh in on the US$50m Johnny Depp v Amber Heard defamation trial.

“What the fuck is she on?” Rock said about Heard. “She shit in his bed! She’s fine, but she’s not shitting fine. She shit in his bed! Once you shit in someone’s bed, you just guilty of everything. What the fuck is going on there? Wow. And they had a relationship after that.”

Most of Depp's celebrity supporters have been quiet since voicing their initial support in 2020 during his unsuccessful defamation suit against UK tabloid The Sun for calling him a "wife beater". We have heard hardly a peep since Heard took the stand with allegations of sexual violence against the Pirates of the Caribbean actor.

But still, these are who the celebrities have chosen to back in defamation case of the century.

Team Johnny

Winona Ryder 

No-one can forget Depp's romance with Winona Ryder. Especially not Depp himself, who had “Winona Forever” tattooed on his arm, which he later altered to “Wino forever”. 

The actor’s ex-fiance was a staunch ally during his 2020 defamation case against UK tabloid The Sun for labelling him a “wife-beater”.

Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder (Photo by Barry King/WireImage)

At the time, Ryder’s statement read: “The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved. He was never, never violent towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen.”

Vanessa Paradis

Another of Depp’s exes and mother to his two children, Vanessa Paradis, has backed the actor during his defamation gruellings. 

During the UK proceedings, Paradis said: “From my personal experience of many years, I can say [Depp] was never violent or abusive to me.”

Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. Picture: Supplied.

Penelope Cruz 

Actress Penelope Cruz submitted a deposition during the UK trial, noting for the record that she met Depp when he was 19 years old, in 1993. 

The pair have appeared in three movies together. The first, Blow, was released in 2001. Subsequently, the two also appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and the 2017 remake of Murder on the Orient Express.

“I’ve seen Johnny in so many situations and he is always kind to everyone around. He is one of the most generous people I know,” she wrote in the deposition. 

“During six months of my first pregnancy, I spent every single day with him while we shot Pirates of the Caribbean. My husband and I will never forget the sweetness, protection and kindness he treated me with during every single step of that process.”

Sia

Singer Sia weighed in on the 2020 case via Twitter, after tapes of Heard admitting to physically assaulting Depp were played for the courtroom. 

“Just showing my public support for Johnny Depp,” she said. “I mean, I’d love him to get clean and stop with the jewellery, but he is clearly the victim after hearing those tapes.”

Joe Rogan

Just this week the controversial podcast host threw his support behind Depp, saying Disney could reverse their declining stock price by returning the actor to his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

On Tuesday's episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan said: “If Disney wanted to reclaim all the stock that they’ve lost, all the market share they’ve lost over the last couple of months, I guarantee, you say, ‘F*** it, we’re on Team Johnny Depp.’”

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— sportsvids99 (@sportsvids991) May 11, 2022

Disney’s shares have declined 32.1% this year, largely due to their battle with Florida’s Republican lawmakers over the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill which aims to restrict discussion around queerness.

David Yates 

Back in 2017 amidst early accusations of Depp’s alleged violence, director David Yates was forced to defend his decision to keep the actor in the role of Gellert Grindelward in Fantastic Beasts.

Yates was widely quoted as saying: “I can only tell you about the man I see every day: he’s full of decency and kindness, and that’s all I see. Whatever accusation was out there doesn’t tally with the kind of human being I’ve been working with.”

Paul Bettany

British actor Paul Bettany defended Depp back in 2016 in a Twitter post saying: “Known Johnny Depp for years and through several relationships. He’s the sweetest, kindest, gentlest man that I’ve ever known. Just saying.”

Bettany and Depp’s private texts have been canvassed during the current trial, during which the two men discuss violent acts to perform on Heard.

In one message, Depp wrote, “Let’s burn Amber!!!” to which Bettany responded: “Having thought it through I don’t think we should burn Amber – she’s delightful company and easy on the eye, plus I’m not sure she’s a witch. We could of course try the English course of action in these predicaments ­– we do a drowning test. Thoughts?”

Bettany told The Independent that it was “strange” to have his private messages read to the world. 

“Can you imagine what it would be like, honestly, to have a bunch of lawyers go through every one of your emails and texts for 10 years? All I can tell you is that it was an unpleasant feeling,” he said earlier this year. 

Team Amber

Elon Musk

The Tesla CEO’s support for ex-girlfriend Heard has been frequently mentioned throughout the ongoing Viriginal libel case.

Earlier this month, it was revealed he had paid US$500,000 to charity in her name, as part of her promise to donate the full $7m divorce settlement she got from Johnny Depp.

The court learned that Heard failed to donate the full amount she got from Depp, but took $500,000 from the tech billionaire to help pay back the loan.

Musk has also been accused of being in a relationship with Heard at the same time she was married to Depp. He has previously denied the allegations as has Heard. 

While he was initially on Heard’s list of witnesses to testify in the current trial, The New York Post has confirmed he will not be taking the stand.