Photo:Ernesto Ruscio/Getty
Ernesto Ruscio/Getty
Amber Heardis moving on following the defamation trial between her and her ex-husbandJohnny Depp.
The resultingsix-week trial, which kicked off in June 2022, was a shocking public ordeal that exposed private details about the former couple’s marriage, divorce, finances and other relationships (including Heard’serstwhile romancewithElon Musk), while also threatening to end their careers.
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In astatement Heard releasedon the day of the verdict, she said in part that she felt “disappointment … beyond words,” adding that she was “heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway” of her ex.
Since the trial ended, Heard, now 38, largely retreated from the public eye, moving away from her home in California to Spain with her daughter in search of privacy after the highly publicized trial.
“The trial was beyond stressful, andshe wanted to start fresh,” a source told PEOPLE in April 2023.
More than one year after the explosive case’s conclusion, here’s a look at the aftermath of the defamation trial and what Heard has been up to since.
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After living in the desert town of Yucca Valley, California, Heardsold her homefor $1.1 million and moved to Europe with her daughter,Oonagh Paige. An insider told PEOPLE that Heard left the U.S. because she felt there was “too much chaos” stateside.
Heard “lost the case and was treated as such,” a film source told people of her retreat from the public eye. “She felt like a pariah.”
A source told PEOPLE in November 2022 that Heard “is able tojust be a momthere. She is focused on raising her daughter. She spends every day with her girl. They stroll around, visit parks and enjoy family time. Amber is a great mom.”
In a TikTok video posted in May 2023, Heard, who is fluent in Spanish, told local reporters that she “loves living” in the country andplans to stay there.
According to insiders, Heard is working on putting the trauma of the case behind her. “Amber was devastated before, during and after the trial. But she is better now,” a film source said.
Meanwhile, another source close to Heard told PEOPLE that the actress is focused on the future: “She is excited about working and filming again. She was exhausted and disappointed about the trial. She felt she was mistreated.”
The insider added: “This is all behind her now, though. She has new energy and is focused on things that she loves.”
Heard wasspotted out for a jogin Madrid in early April 2024, where she was seeing wearing a matching navy blue athletic set.
In December 2024, a rep for Heard confirmed to PEOPLE that she is expecting her second child, saying, “It is still quite early in the pregnancy, so you will appreciate that we do not want to go into much detail at this stage. Suffice to say thatAmber is delightedboth for herself and Oonagh Paige.”
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After the jury’s ruling, Heardhired new attorneysand requested a mistrial and appeal. (Deppalso appealedHeard’s counterclaim victory.)
In a November 2022 appellate court filing, Heard’s legal team questioned why the trial took place in Virginia instead of California — where both Heard, Depp and most of their witnesses primarily lived — and why Depp’s lawsuit was allowed to proceed at all following the U.K. libel ruling against him. (In 2020, Depplost a libel suitagainst a U.K. tabloid that referred to thePirates of the Caribbeanstar as a “wife beater.")Her attorneys also argued that the verdict would have a “chilling effect on other womenwho wish to speak about abuse involving powerful men” and that Heard’s claims in her op-ed were “non-actionable expressions of opinion.”
In December 2022, Heard announced that she was dropping her appeal and settling with Depp. While the initial jury ruling in the defamation trial called for more than $10 million in damages, Heardsettled with Deppfor $1 million, Depp’sattorneys confirmedto PEOPLE. Depppledged to donate the sumto five charities. Heard’spayment was issuedin June 2023.
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Heard willreprise her roleas Queen Mera inAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, set for a December 2023 release. During the defamation trial, Heard said on the stand that she “fought really hard” to stay in the sequel, but that despite being a lead alongsideJason Momoain the firstAquaman, her role was “pared down” inThe Lost Kingdombecause of the controversy surrounding Depp’s lawsuit.
Heard’s agent, Jessica Kovacevic, testified that she was told the shrinking of the role was due to a lack of chemistry with Momoa, but she believed it wasdue to the negative attentionthe lawsuit generated.
Walter Hamada, then-president of DC Films,denied Heard’s claimin a taped deposition, however, saying that the sequel was planned to be a “buddy comedy” between Momoa’s andPatrick Wilson’s characters.
In July 2021,Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomproducer Peter Safrantold Deadlinethat despitepressure from fans, including a long-running petition, the production teamnever had plansto remove Heard from the film entirely. “You gotta do what’s best for the movie. We felt that if it’s [director]James Wanand Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was.”
Heard confirmed to reporters in May 2023 that she has movies on the horizon, though she didn’t give any specifics.
Heard told PEOPLE thatIn the Fireis “a beautiful movie about the almostsupernatural effect and force of love. It is about the boundaries that love can cross and its creation, and really about the overwhelming power that love has.”
Heard filmedIn the Fireafter the U.K. libel trial and before the Virginia defamation trial, and her colleagues on the film said theyadmired her strength. Director Conor Allyn told PEOPLE that Heard has “a bright future” ahead of her in film, while her costar Luca Calvani said: “Anyone that suffers that sort of ordeal and is able to overcome it with grace … you have to give credit for the incredible journey this woman has been through, and she can teach us all a couple of things as far as resilience and courage.”
After the festival, Heardposted photosfrom the event onInstagramandthanked her supporters.
That same month, the actresstold Deadlinethat her ideal career would allow her to work on a variety of different projects, from blockbusters likeAquamanto indies likeIn the Fire.
“The best luck you can have as an actor is to be able to balance both,” she said. “There’s something cool about that, and I think success is an actor who is able to have both those things.”
source: people.com