After Johnny Depp and Amber Heard publicly called it quits in 2016, their relationship has been making headlines ever since.
Depp's name is in the spotlight again this week as he was asked to step down from his role as Grindelwald in the upcoming film “Fantastic Beasts 3” after he lost his libel case against The Sun newspaper, which labeled him as a “wife-beater.”
Despite allegations of abuse from both sides, Heard has not been released from her role in DC's lucrative “Aquaman” franchise.
Depp and Heard first met on the set of the 2009 film, “The Rum Diary.”
At the time, Depp was in a relationship with Vanessa Paradis, who he had dated for 14 years, from 1998 to 2012. The pair shared two children together: Lily-Rose, born in 1999, and John Christopher, born in 2002.
Heard was also in a relationship when she first met Depp, dating photographer and artist Tasya van Ree from 2008 to 2012.
The pair started dating in 2012.
Although the couple were not overtly public about their engagement, Heard didn't hide her large engagement ring when they stepped out together in 2014.
In an interview, Depp didn't seem to mind discussing wedding planning and pointed out that he had “a chick's ring” on his finger.
“It's probably a dead giveaway, isn't it?” Depp joked. “Not very subtle.”
The two eloped in a private ceremony at their home in LA in 2015.
Shortly after, Depp and Heard made headlines yet again that year when they failed to declare their two dogs, both Yorkshire Terriers, at the border, in violation of Australia's strict biosecurity laws.
Both actors have since apologized for the incident.
In May 2016, Heard requested and obtained a temporary restraining order against Depp and filed for divorce, alleging that Depp had physically abused her, usually under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Depp denied the abuse, and a settlement was reached after Heard withdrew her request for a domestic violence restraining order and spousal support.
She received $7 million from the divorce, but donated the funds to a children's hospital.
Their divorce was finalized in 2017. Heard kept the two Yorkshire Terriers that she shared with the Oscar-winning actor, while Depp retained all of their properties, including a private island in the Bahamas.
Although both couples signed a non-disparagement clause to prevent each from slandering the other, in December 2017, more than a year after their divorce, Heard released an op-ed in The Washington Post, describing herself as a “public figure in domestic abuse cases.”
Although she never mentioned Depp by name, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor sued Heard for $50 million in damages for defamation.
Things escalated in January 2020, when the Daily Mail released phone recordings where Heard was heard clarifying that she hit, but did not punch, Depp.
Depp was heard replying, “I left last night. Honestly, I swear to you because I just couldn't take the idea of more physicality, more physical abuse on each other.”
In 2018, Depp sued executive editor Dan Wootton and the publishers of The Sun, News Group Newspapers, for libel, over a 2018 article where they named him a “wife-beater” in response to Heard's op-ed.
On November 2, the London High Courts ruled in favor of The Sun, referring to 14 separate incidents that would justify the assertion that Depp was a “wife-beater.”
Depp's lawyers announced that Depp plans to appeal this decision, as well as clear his name in the United States court system, where a trial is currently pending.
Only four days after the results of his libel case were published, Depp was asked to step down from his role in the “Fantastic Beasts 3” film, although he will still receive his full 8-figure salary.
Depp shared a statement on Instagram the same day, saying that he was asked to step down and that he “respected and agreed to that request.”
He concluded by saying, “The surreal judgment of the court in the UK will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal. My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time.”
