It did not take time for the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial to become a major source of memes and jokes online. Even though it dealt with a subejct as sensitive as domestic violence, the internet found itself laughing at the expense of the trauma that the victims have gone through.
Irrespective of the court’s decision, a social media trial had already deemed Amber Heard guilty. Fans of Johnny Depp stormed social media platforms with the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp, that ended up getting 15 billion views on TikTok alone. #IStandWithAmberHeard, a tag that was created in support of the actor, received about 8.2 million views on the same platform.
The number of memes around Heard spiked further when she was handed a near complete loss in the trial, and Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
It wasn’t just users on social media who participated in this humiliation of Amber Heard. Several major brands, including Starbucks, Etsy, and Duolingo, along with other local businesses have been named in a viral Twitter thread that talks about companies that profited either financially or through social media goodwilll because of the trial.
The first is a makeup brand called Milani cosmetics, that suggested Heard was lying about using their colour corrector during her relationship with Depp to hide her bruises. They claimed that their colour corrector launched in December 2017, months after the two split. “This encouraged millions of people to participate in the smear campaign againsther,” the thread reads.
The user further clarified that Heard merely used the product by Milani cosmetics to demonstrate how a colour corrector works. She never claimed she used the exact same one.
Global coffee chain Starbucks asked customers to tip in separate jars with Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s names on it to show which actor they supported.
Etsy listed several products on its platform such as stickers, t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc., that mocked Heard’s testimony in court where she claimed to be a domestic violence victim.
A Las Vegas strip club suggested that Amber Heard should audition since she might need the money to pay the hefty damages.
The thread, posted by @liliandaisies has listed several other companies like these. Check out the entire list here:
Amber Heard has hired a new legal team to appeal the jury’s $10 million verdict in this case. Only one lawyer from her Virginia trial, Benjamin Rotternborn, will continue on the case.
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