It’s not only Johnny Depp’s reputation that’s suffered since his break-up from Amber Heard, but also his bank account. Testimony from the actor’s agent revealed that Johnny missed a multi-million-dollar payday to the backlash.
Jack Whigham, a talent managed from Creative Artists Agency, took the stand on Monday amidst the ongoing defamation trial. He was primarily questioned about the fallout Johnny experienced following the publication of Amber’s 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post.
The Aquaman star’s article came out the year after their divorce was finalized, and in it she discussed surviving domestic abuse. Though she didn’t mention her ex-husband by name, it was largely speculated to be about Johnny, who filed to sue Amber over the backlash the following year.
Whigham testified that Johnny’s career began to suffer immediately following the article’s release. The actor had been in the middle of finalizing his contract for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, but it soon fell through.
“After the op-ed, it was impossible to get him a studio film, which is what we normally would have been focussed on in that time period," Whigham explained, PEOPLE notes.
Whigham added that Johnny was set to earn $22.5 million from the movie before the deal went south.
During cross-examination, Amber’s lawyer pointed out there was no written contract finalizing the deal. But Whigham argued there had been verbal agreements, which he said is norm in the industry.
Though Johnny will seemingly no longer be a part of the films, Disney has announced a Pirates of the Caribbean reboot featuring Margot Robbie is in the works.
Amber has yet to take the stand, though her legal team has stated they plan to demonstrate Johnny subjected her to multiple forms of abuse during their relationship, including physical, emotional, and sexual.
Conversely, Johnny’s team claims she was abusive towards him. An audio recording played in court featured Amber admitting to striking her then-partner and downplaying the severity of the incident.
It was also revealed that Amber failed to follow through on her promise to donate her divorce settlement. When their divorce was finalized, Johnny and Amber released a joint statement announcing she intended to donate the $7 million settlement she received.
However, when Terence Dougherty, the chief operating officer of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (one of the organizations Amber promised money to), he said they hadn’t received the full amount.
Terence said that when ACLU reached out to her in 2019 to inquire about the remaining money, the actress’s team told them she was having “financial difficulties.”
The case remains ongoing. Reports suggest that Johnny is hoping to win $50 million from the case.
Sources: PEOPLE, New York Times,