Fact Check: Did Disney apologize to Johnny Depp after Amber Heard trial?

The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation case came to an end on June 1, with the jury declaring the former as the winner of the longstanding lawsuit. Jurors at Fairfax County court ruled that Heard defamed Depp with her 2018 Washington Post op-ed.

The Aquaman star referred to herself as a survivor of domestic abuse in the article, and Depp’s legal team claimed that she hinted towards the actor as the alleged abuser. Although Depp was not mentioned in the story, he claimed that the article negatively impacted his career and damaged his reputation.

Shortly after The Washington Post op-ed was published, Disney revealed that Depp would no longer continue to play the iconic role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Meanwhile, the actor sued Amber Heard for libel and filed a $50 million lawsuit against the actress.

Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming that he assaulted her on multiple occasions during their relationship. Nearly four years later, Depp won the lawsuit and was awarded $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages (the latter being reduced to $350,000 due to Virginia Law).

The jury also awarded Heard $2 million for winning one claim in connection to Depp’s former lawyer Adam Waldman’s defamatory remarks against the actress. Following the verdict, several Johnny Depp fans urged Disney to apologize to the actor for allegedly firing him from the Pirates franchise amid his legal battle.

So far, Disney has not directly cited Depp’s legal issues with Heard as the reason behind his exit from the Pirates franchise. There has also been no official apology from the entertainment giant towards Depp after the verdict of the defamation trial.

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Fans continue to demand Disney’s apology for Johnny Depp

Disney is yet to issue an apology to Johnny Depp (Image via Getty Images)

Johnny Depp has continued to make headlines ever since his high-profile defamation trial against Amber Heard began in Fairfax County on April 11. As the case came to a close earlier this month and the verdict was ruled out in Depp’s favor, numerous fans asked Disney to apologize to the actor.

In 2018, Disney announced that Depp would not continue playing the lead role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Although the company never attributed Heard’s abuse allegations against Depp as the reason behind their decision, the announcement was made shortly after the actress published her controversial Washington Post op-ed.

At the time, Walt Disney production chief Sean Bailey told The Hollywood Reporter that the company was planning to rope in new energy for the franchise:

“We want to bring in a new energy and vitality. I love the [Pirates] movies, but part of the reason Paul [Wernick] and Rhett [Reese] are so interesting is that we want to give it a kick in the pants. And that’s what I’ve tasked them with.”

In addition to Disney, Warner Bros. also fired Johnny Depp from the Fantastic Beasts franchise after he lost the UK defamation trial against British tabloid The Sun in 2020.

Following Depp’s recent win against Heard, several fans took to Twitter to ask Disney and Warner Bros. to apologize to the actor:

During the six-week-long defamation trial, Johnny Depp opened up about Disney and his departure from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He said:

“Having added much of myself, much of my own rewriting, the dialogue, the scenes, the jokes, I didn't quite understand how after that long relationship and quite a successful relationship with Disney that... suddenly I was guilty until proven innocent.”

As Johnny Depp fans continue to put forward their demands online, it remains to be seen if Disney will apologize to the actor in the days to come. However, Depp has already testified that he will not reprise his role in the Pirates franchise even if they offer him “$300 million and a million alpacas.”