For six weeks in 2022, millions of people tuned in to watch the defamation trial between Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Aquaman star Amber Heard. Depp was suing Heard for $50 million for defamation due to an OpEd Heard wrote that was published in The Washington Post in 2018. Heard, in turn, sued Depp for $100 million, also for defamation. In total, the trial amassed an astonishing 84 million hours watched over the six weeks it took place.
In the end, the jury decided that while both Depp and Heard had defamed each other, Heard was more at fault. Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2 million, and Heard was told she had to pay Depp $10 million. Both sides appealed the decisions and, in the end, Depp decided that he would let the matter drop if Heard paid him $1 million.
While Depp may be known best for his incredible acting, it is not the only talent he has. For years, he has been in a band called Hollywood Vampires. The band consists of a number of other notable musicians — Joe Perry from Aerosmith, Tommy Henriksen from the German band Warlock, and Alice Cooper. Perry, Cooper, and Depp have been in the band for more than 10 years, with Henriksen joining in 2022.
Millions of people watched Johnny Depp go through his trial against Amber Heard, but Alice Cooper wasn’t one of them. The rocker had no interest in seeing his friend struggle, and said that no one else in the band had any desire to watch either, “because nobody cared.” In speaking with Vulture, Cooper said:
“I never watched a moment of the trials. It was so blown out of proportion… It was such a Hollywood thing. I knew Johnny was gonna win because how many people have other exes literally on their side testifying for him? That never happens. I turned it right off and said, ‘Well, you know, Johnny will weather this storm and when he’s onstage, he’s our guitar player.'”
Cooper also said that the band had no qualms about bringing Depp on tour after the abuse allegations were levied against him. He said that Depp didn’t want to talk about it and just focused on the music. He was also shocked that the trials were aired at all, but said that it made sense because both people were famous.
Cooper also took a lighter look at the trial, saying that Depp and Heard should be cast in a remake of War of the Roses.
“The best thing I said about the whole thing was, ‘They should do a remake of War of the Roses with Johnny and Amber.’ Who’s not gonna go see that? I’m going to see that! To make it even better, make their lawyers Angie [Jolie] and Brad [Pitt]. All you need is a really funny director, and that’s gonna be a monster hit.”
Hollywood Vampires is currently traveling the world on tour. They did have to cancel one of their shows in Budapest, Hungary, when Depp was found passed out in his hotel room. Rumors were circulating that he had been drinking, but nothing was confirmed. Depp is back playing and seems to be completely fine.
The trial of Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard was made into a Netflix documentary that is now available to stream.
