Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard Documentary to Examine TikTok’s Impact on Outcome

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial and the impact of social media on the verdict will be explored in depth in a new documentary from NBC News, Variety reports. Wednesday, A Marriage on Trial: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and Truth in the Age of Social Media premieres at 10:30 p.m. ET on the NBC News Now platform and be available for streaming on NBCNews.com and Peacock.

“The Depp v. Heard defamation trial evoked two distinct reactions – those who couldn’t get enough and those who received more than they wanted,” the network said of the new 30-minute documentary. “The new deep-dive documentary explores why the trial overwhelmed social media, specifically TikTok, and what viewers missed if social media coverage was their only news source. In the wake of a verdict that surprised legal experts, NBC News examines how the trial evolved into the TikTok trial and what the verdict means for future domestic abuse cases.”

Included in the documentary are interviews with Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence CEO Ruth Glenn, American University law professor and gendered violence expert Jamie Abrams, NBC News senior breaking news reporter Doha Madani, NBC News tech and culture reporter Kat Tenbarge, People Magazine‘s Nigel Smith and more.

Heard has previously called out social media’s role in the jury ruling against her in the high-profile defamation trial, with TikTok hashtags #justiceforjohnnydepp racking up nearly 20 billion views while #justiceforamberheard only brought in about 80 million, according to NBC. “I don’t blame [the jury] – I actually understand,” Heard said of the verdict favoring Depp during an interview with Savannah Guthrie on TODAY after the verdict was released. “He’s a beloved character, and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”

“I don’t care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors,” the Aquaman actress said. “I don’t presume the average person should know those things. And so I don’t take it personally.” She continued, “But even somebody who is sure I’m deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying, you still couldn’t look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation. You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”