11/04/2026
OH PLEASE WE ALL SAW THIS INSANE WOMAN ACTUALLY BE THE AGGRESSOR!😂😂😂 y’all insane bro
The legal battle between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp unfolded over several years, beginning with their divorce in 2016, followed by a UK libel trial in 2020, and culminating in the highly publicized US defamation trial in 2022. During that 2022 trial especially, the internet turned her testimony into entertainment. Clips were taken out of context, parody videos flooded social media, and millions of people participated - often gleefully - in mocking her.
I remember speaking out at the time about how dangerous that was. Even if someone didn’t believe her, turning a woman’s testimony about abuse into a joke sets a much bigger precedent. It tells everyone watching that it’s acceptable to ridicule survivors, to dissect their trauma for content, and to publicly discredit them before the truth is even fully understood.
When we collectively decide that one woman is fair game for humiliation, we lower the bar for how all women can be treated.
Now, with some distance from the trial, there’s a noticeable shift. More people are reflecting, expressing regret, and acknowledging how extreme and dehumanizing the online response was. Whether that shift is entirely genuine or partly driven by changing trends, it still matters. Awareness, even if imperfect, is better than silence.
But the bigger issue is that this pattern isn’t unique. It happens again and again. Most of us will never have access to the full truth in cases like this. So I’ve come to adopt a simple rule:
Whenever I see a woman being torn apart on a massive scale, I become deeply suspicious of the narrative.
That’s it. That’s my rule.
And time after time, it has proven to be useful. Amber Heard is just one example where a powerful public narrative formed quickly - before, during, and even after court proceedings - and many people accepted it without question.
I hope that next time, we pause. That we resist the urge to turn someone’s pain into content. That we think more critically about what we’re participating in.
Because these moments don’t just affect one person - they shape how all survivors are treated.
