Johnny Depp is on TikTok now. Fresh off the PR coup that was the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation trial, the Fantastic Beasts actor seized the toxic vat of fan support by joining the platform where stans defended him throughout the legal circus. Depp made a TikTok account less than a week after the highly publicized and memed trial, where he won over $10 million in damages from Heard after the jury ruled she had defamed him in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Heard won $2 million in damages from Depp in the countersuit. Depp’s bio reads “Occasional Thespian,” which is accurate because his next gig is a long-pending assault trial slated for July. (He was sued for allegedly punching a film-crew member, Gregg Brooks, in 2017).
Depp’s first post consists of bizarre clips of his defenders picketing outside the courthouse while he waves from his car, which are intercut with shots of the actor onstage with his band and making a concert setlist. “To all my most treasured, loyal and unwavering supporters,” he captioned the video. “We’ve been everywhere together, we have seen everything together. We have walked the same road together. We did the right thing together, all because you cared. You are, as always, my employers and once again I am whittled down to no way to say thank you.” The account has more than 3.9 million followers and counting.
Depp might not have only die-hard fans to thank for his win in the court of public opinion. Because of the sheer amount of discourse and vitriolic anti-Heard posts that have managed to take over Twitter trends and news cycles, researchers found that some of Depp’s supporters might be a mix of algorithm manipulation and bots programmed to share pro-Depp content. Heard’s legal team first accused Depp of creating an army of bots to spread anti-Heard video clips and Twitter accounts back in 2020. Now Depp’s directly trying to harness the power of the Clock App to keep stans, bots, and men’s-rights activists alike on his side. Just in time for more legal battles.
