Within hours of joining TikTok under the bio "Occasional Thespian" and publishing his first video, Johnny Depp amassed more than 4 million followers and a million likes on the social media platform.
The actor's TikTok debut comes less than a week after jurors in Fairfax, Virginia, awarded $15 million in damages to Depp and $2 million in damages to Heard. (Judge Penney Azcarate reduced Depp's total to about $10.4 million, per Virginia's statutory cap.)
"To all of my most treasured, loyal and unwavering supporters. We've been everywhere together, we have seen everything together. We have walked the same road together. We did the right thing together, all because you cared," Depp captioned his inaugural TikTok post.
"Now, we will all move forward together. You are, as always, my employers and once again I am whittled down to no way to say thank you, other than just by saying thank you. So, thank you. My love & respect, JD."
Along with the love letter to his loyal fans, Depp shared a montage of himself waving to his supporters outside the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse and performing onstage with English rock guitarist Jeff Beck. (Shortly after a verdict was reached in Depp's defamation trial, Beck announced that he would be releasing an album with the actor in July.)
In response to Depp's TikTok victory lap, a spokesperson for Heard reiterated her position that the "verdict's message to victims of domestic violence is ... be afraid to stand up and speak out."
"As Johnny Depp says he's 'moving forward,' women's rights are moving backward," a representative for Heard said in a statement.
It's fitting that Depp should create a TikTok account, considering his many supporters used TikTok and other social media platforms to support him and disparage Heard throughout their defamation trial.
The turbulent trial, which lasted six weeks, hinged primarily on a 2018 op-ed by Heard for the Washington Post that identified Heard as "a public figure representing domestic abuse." Though the op-ed never mentioned Depp by name, the entertainer claimed that Heard defamed him by writing it.
Further complicating the legal battle was Heard's countersuit against Depp, concerning allegedly defamatory remarks by his former attorney dismissing her domestic violence allegations as a "hoax."
During the proceedings, which were livestreamed on Court TV and elsewhere, the pro-Depp crowd flooded TikTok and other social media sites with hashtags such as #JusticeforJohnnyDepp. (Pro-Heard hashtags such as #JusticeforAmberHeard also trended, albeit to a lesser extent.)
At one point, a viral TikTok trend even saw people reenact and mock Heard's testimony about Depp allegedly striking her.
"[Heard] was demonized here," Heard attorney Elaine Bredehoft told NBC's "Today" show last week.
"[The jury] went home every night. They have families. The families are on social media. We had a 10-day break in the middle because of the Judicial Conference. There's no way they couldn't have been influenced by it, and it was horrible. It really, really was lopsided."
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