Drew Barrymore Apologizes After Facing Backlash Over Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Trial Comments

Drew Barrymore is apologizing after being accused of “making light” of Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. The Drew Barrymore Show host came under fire during a discussion about the ongoing legal battle on her show, calling it “a seven-layer dip of insanity.” 

“I know that these are two people’s real lives and I know what it’s like to have your life put out in public,” she continued. “I understand all the feelings, but they are actually offering up this information.” Facing backlash from people who thought she was diminishing discussions about domestic violence, Barrymore took to Instagram this weekend with an apology.

“It has come to my attention that I have offended people with making light of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and for that I just want to deeply apologize and appreciate everyone who spoke out because this can be a teachable moment for me and how I move forward and how I conduct myself,” she said. “I can be a more thoughtful and better person moving forward because all I want to do is be a good person and I very much appreciate the depth of this and I will grow and change from it, and I thank everyone for helping me grow along the way and teaching me. Thank you.”

Depp and Heard’s televised trial is expected to take six weeks as Depp continues to deny he abused his ex-wife, whom he claimed went on to defame him with a  December 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post in which she described her experience as a domestic abuse survivor without naming him. Heard has now countersued the actor for $100 million.

Barrymore isn’t the only celebrity who has gotten negative attention for their take on the trial. Last month, Howard Stern accused Depp of “overacting” on the stand, going viral for his take. “His difficulty in speaking the English language is fantastic,” Stern said at the time. “And the accent. First of all, isn’t he from like the south of the Midwest? Johnny Depp was born in Kentucky. Does that sound like a guy from Kentucky?”

The radio personality went on to accuse Depp of being a narcissist. “I think Johnny Depp is a huge narcissist and what I mean by that is – he figured, ‘I’ll put this on TV and because I’m so persuasive and because I’m so smart, I’m such a wonderful guy,’” Stern said. Unlike Barrymore, he has yet to walk back his opinion or apologize.