The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse.
Amber Heard and Johnny Depp were not a Hollywood couple that went on to stand the test of time. While many A-lister relationships fade into the ether and fizzle out over time, some have the capacity to create full-blown media storms. In the case of Heard and Depp, the latter couldn’t be more true — and unless you’ve been living on a remote island, you know just how messy their relationship and divorce became.
Heard and Depp found love while on set, as many actors do, but it didn’t last. No, the couple instead found themselves on the chopping block just a year and a half into their relationship, and things were only going to get more complicated from there.
Many tuned in to Depp and Heard’s defamation trial like it was a daytime soap opera unfolding in real time — watching the intense body language and listening to conflicting accounts. But between the couple filing for divorce and the defamation case hitting the court, what happened between these two actors? What information about Heard and Depp’s relationship came to light in the time that followed the divorce, and what insights can we glean from their time together that could somehow explain the legal charade we found ourselves tuning into? Here’s what led to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s demise.
‘Irreconcilable differences’ were to blame for the split, according to the divorce filing
It seemed as though Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were the Hollywood “it” couple that made everyone else cower — they dazzled at movie premieres, encouraged each other’s art, and seemed to be the spouse that the other was looking for. But that facade came crashing down just a mere 15 months after Depp and Heard tied the knot, and the news left many fans and followers alike confused as to what happened between them.
As noted by NBC News, Heard was the one to file for divorce, claiming in the initial paperwork that “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split. The “Aquaman” star also indicated at the time that she’d be pursuing spousal support from Depp amid their divorce proceedings.
The news of Depp and Heard’s divorce came just days before Depp’s film, “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” was set to hit theaters. As noted by Metro, the “Alice In Wonderland” sequel was on track to rake in about $70 million over opening weekend in the United States alone, but instead, that figure crumbled to $28.1 million. In fact, the film’s international debut weekend even came in under the anticipated U.S. number, with “Alice Through the Looking Glass” making about $65 million worldwide. And — if you can believe it — the drama between the two now-separated actors was only just getting started.
Calls to the police and claims of violence were made in 2016
As Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s dirty laundry started to flap in the post-divorce-filing wind, we started to learn just how complicated their union was — and ultimately what led to its demise. About a week after Heard filed for both a divorce and a restraining order against the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call from Heard (via People). Heard sought help from law enforcement, claiming that ongoing domestic abuse was occurring at the hands of her soon-to-be ex-husband. However, an investigation conducted by the LAPD showed no such evidence.
“On May 21, 2016, officers responded to a domestic incident radio call,” LAPD Sgt. Marlon Marrache said at the time (via People). “The person reporting the crime [Heard] did not insist on a report and no report was warranted. There was no evidence of any crime. A crime did not occur so the officers left the scene and left a business card.”
The LAPD sergeant went on to say that if there had been evidence of such a domestic crime or indications of abuse, police officers would have stayed on the scene to conduct an investigation.
