The actress is set to sit down for her first full-length televised interview since the trial with Savannah Guthrie and previews show her saying that she does not “blame” the jury for siding with her ex-husband.
Ahead of the interview airing on NBC, Heard’s PR team released a statement about her decision to speak up after the jury found that she had defamed Depp with actual malice.
“Johnny Depp’s legal team blanketed the media for days after the verdict with numerous statements and interviews on television, and Depp himself did the same on social media,” a spokesperson for Heard told Newsweek.
“Ms. Heard simply intended to respond to what they aggressively did last week; she did so by expressing her thoughts and feelings, much of which she was not allowed to do on the witness stand.”
Heard and Depp had been embroiled in a weeks-long blockbuster trial after the actor sued his ex-wife for $50 million, accusing her of defaming him by writing an op-ed in The Washington Post in 2018 in which she said that she had been the victim of domestic violence. Though Depp was never named in the piece, his lawyers argued that it was clear who she was referencing.
Millions of people all over the world tuned in to the trial from Fairfax, Virginia as the proceedings were televised daily, prompting hundreds of viral moments and unprecedented scrutiny of Heard
The trial ended with a jury finding that Heard had defamed Depp with actual malice. She was ordered to pay him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, though the punitive damages were reduced to $350,000, due to a Virginia law that caps punitive damages at that amount.
In a statement at the time, Heard said that she was “disappointment beyond words” and labeled the verdict a “setback” for women. The 36-year-old has decided to appeal the verdict and, according to her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft, is “unable to pay” the damages.
Heard’s interview with Today co-host Guthrie is scheduled to air this Friday on NBC at 8 p.m. ET, according to Deadline.
The outlet also reports that the interview was filmed on June 9 with the production shrouded in secrecy.
In a clip shared by Today, Heard mentions the social media representation of her and Depp throughout the trial and argues: “You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”
TikTok in particular proved instrumental in Depp winning over the public during the trial. However, his legal team denies it played a role in his victory.
“Even somebody who is sure I am deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying,” Heard continues in the preview. “You still couldn’t look me in the eye and tell me that you think, on social media, there’s been a fair representation.”
