What is the current situation between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard?

Perhaps the dirtiest break-up in recent years in Hollywood. And yes, I even count the one between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. So that says something — this one was very nasty. Or is, I should actually say. Because the lawsuits are still ongoing and the mudslinging is really far from over. In the meantime, Johnny Depp has lost his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, which also received a lot of backlash. Meanwhile, Amber Heard is in the running for a major role in a Marvel film and is also allowed to return to her role in the sequel to Aquaman.

Now, during one of my late-night reading sessions on Reddit (thanks insomnia), I stumbled upon various topics about these two actors. And to be honest: I actually thought Johnny Depp was the bad guy. He had physically and mentally abused her, right? And wasn’t there something said about someone shitting on someone’s bed? Speaking of a sentence I never thought I would type, but yes, that’s how far their toxic relationship went. A bit more research made me believe that Amber Heard is just as much the bad guy and is getting away with a lot less damage.

This also shows the power of the media. Amber Heard publicly stated that her ex-husband was an alcoholic and abused her, after which Johnny Depp almost became a persona non grata. But what you might not have caught is that audio clips leaked last February between the two, when they were still married.

You can ‘m listen to it here, but I will briefly mention the main points. You hear Johnny Depp saying that he doesn’t want any more ‘physical fights’ and that she shouldn’t lie about having punched him. She denies this: it wasn’t a punch, because her fists weren’t clenched, but “I f**king was hitting you… I don’t know what the motion of my hand was, but you’re fine, I did not hurt you, I did not punch you, I was hitting you.” She also says that it really didn’t hurt, to which Johnny replies that she can’t determine that.

“You are such a baby. Grow the f**k up,” are the words she then shouts at him. When they have a conversation about him really not wanting this to become a physically violent relationship, and that they should just stop, Amber says: “I can’t promise that it will all be perfect. I can’t promise you I won’t get physical again. God, I f**king sometimes get so mad I lose it.”

Additionally, there is the accusation from Johnny Depp that he lost the tip of his finger because Amber Heard threw a vodka bottle at him, but there is no hard evidence for that. Just like there is no evidence for the rumor that Johnny ever actually attacked her violently.

I don’t know, but I found it quite alarming that this audio leaked nine months ago, in which she admits that she abused him. And worse: that she tries to downplay it for him. To me, it is clear that male victims of domestic violence are still quite a taboo. If you look at Johnny Depp’s career and that of Amber Heard… It seems clear to me that it was a toxic situation for both, but that someone is being nailed to the pillory while the other can continue to work and is mainly seen as the victim in the media, that’s quite twisted, isn’t it?