Johnny Depp: The Case for Male Victims of Domestic Abuse

Video credit: Entertainment Tonight

What has been happening with Johnny Depp? The acclaimed actor is currently in a legal battle against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, over defamation. The hell Johnny has been through is something no one should go through.

The two were married for 15 months, but got divorced in 2017. Despite some spats coming from Amber, claiming Johnny hit her, the two appeared on civil terms. That was until 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement, when Amber Heard wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post, talking about how she was a victim of domestic abuse. Johnny Depp was never mentioned by name in the op-ed, but it was implicated he was the abuser. Shortly after, The Sun published an article calling Johnny an abuser. This destroyed Johnny's name and career. He was dropped from numerous films. Disney dropped Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean 6, which Johnny stated he felt betrayed for that. Johnny disappeared out of the limelight, while Amber Heard gained popularity. 

If you'd like to learn more about what domestic abuse is, and what the signs of domestic abuse are, check out The Center for Family Justice. They provide an excellent breakdown of how domestic abuse works.

Amber's popularity and likeability would come crashing down in January of 2020, when the Daily Mail obtained phone records of Heard abusing Johnny. Amber was heard (no pun intended) apologizing to Johnny for hitting him. More proof would come out about Amber's abusive nature. Before the two married, Johnny tried to have Amber sign a prenup, which sent her into a raging fit. Johnny broke his sobriety and drank. Amber then threw the large bottle of vodka, according to Johnny's recent testimony, and tore the top of his middle finger off.  "I looked down and realized the tip of my finger had been severed. I was looking directly at my bones sticking out." Johnny's finger had to be reconstructed. There have been other instances where the volatile relationship between Amber and Johnny could be seen. In one video, while at a red carpet event, Amber was flipping her hair, and Johnny flinched.

Currently, both Johnny and Amber are in court to resolve what happened between the two. Amber knows her house of cards is about to come crashing down. She has tried so hard to win, yet has nothing to prove her side. She hired P.I. Paul Barresi to dig up dirt on the acclaimed actor, in a pathetic attempt to have something over Depp. Barresi interviewed dozens of people who knew Johnny Depp, some who "knew him going as far back as three decades ago," and none of them had a bad thing to say about Depp. Instead, they talked about how generous and kind a person he is.

No matter how you feel about Johnny Depp, he didn't deserve the pain and suffering he received. Nobody deserves to go through what Johnny experienced with Amber Heard, but men do not get heard as victims of domestic abuse, sex trafficking, or rape. We continue to drive the stigma that a man cannot be a victim of domestic abuse, which is why many men keep their story to themselves. I applaud Johnny's bravery in speaking out. It may not seem like much, but when it comes to men being abused by female partners, there's not many who talk about what they went through. 

Mankind Initiative, a UK based program for men escaping domestic abuse, shared the following statistics:

• "The Office for National Statistics figures show every year that one in the three victims of domestic abuse are male."

• "61% of the men who call the ManKind Initiative helpline have never spoken to anyone before about the abuse they are suffering and 64% would not have called if the helpline was not anonymous."

• "Half of male victims (49%) fail to tell anyone they are a victim of domestic abuse and are two and a half times less likely to tell anyone than female victims (19%)."

Johnny discussing what he went through as a child, having an abusive mother, would add onto why he stayed with Amber and continued to be abused. It's hard to break the cycle. 

Reading what Johnny experienced was gut-wrenching. Amber Heard used his popularity and fame to get her name out there, then destroyed his career to excel hers. One clip that has gone viral was when the phone recording was played in court. While Amber looked narcissistic and arrogant, Johnny looked vulnerable and afraid. There really needs to be more discussion on male victims and female perpetrators. Domestic abuse is a serious issue, and it doesn't matter which gender is the victim, they deserve to be heard. Male victims of domestic abuse from their female partners, sadly, don't get the attention they deserve. Amber even told Johnny that nobody would believe he was a victim because he's a man.

I cannot believe it's been six years Johnny has been going through hell, and now he's even closer to getting the justice he deserves. I hope he wins. Domestic violence is a horrible thing, and no one should be forced to go through that. That includes both genders. The outcome for this case will tremendously affect if men reveal being abused by a woman. Nonetheless, I STAND WITH JOHNNY DEPP.

If you or someone you know is in a situation involving domestic abuse, call the National Domestic Violence at 800-799- SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.