Amber Heard Dateline NBC interview sinks without a trace
A TV interview with the actress following her defamation trial defeat fails to draw the expected viewing figures, suggesting she may also have lost in the court of public opinion.
A television interview with Amber Heard following her defamation trial defeat against Johnny Depp failed to draw the expected viewing figures, suggesting that the actress may also have lost in the court of public opinion.
Heard, 36, sat down with Savannah Guthrie of NBC News for a much-publicised discussion in which she stood by her allegations against her former husband and presented a binder of what she described as years of doctor’s notes detailing Depp’s alleged abuse.
In the interview on Dateline NBC screened on Saturday, Heard said that Depp ripped her nightgown and threw her on a bed, according to the notes, which the judge in the case ruled could not be shown to the jury.
Despite a televised trial that had attracted millions of viewers round the world by the time it ended two weeks ago, Heard’s interview brought Dateline its second smallest audience since November, according to TVLine website. The actress’s appearance drew 2.3 million viewers in the US and was even beaten in the ratings by a repeat of the rival news show 20/20 on ABC.
Heard was previously sued by Depp, 59, star of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, for dollars 50 million after she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse in a 2018 Washington Post article. While Depp was not mentioned by name he said the allegation clearly referred to him and seriously harmed his career. The couple had met in 2010 and married in 2015, but within 15 months Heard had filed for divorce.
Having won a previous libel case around similar allegations in London in 2020, Heard countersued her former husband for dollars 100 million. However, following a bitter trial in Virginia, the jury sided with Depp and awarded him dollars 10.3 million in damages, and Heard dollars 2 million. The actress is said to be at risk of bankruptcy.
Studies showed that much of the activity on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Twitter was overwhelmingly pro-Depp. After the NBC interview Heard was accused of being “vindictive” and a “liar” on social media.
The Times
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