One crucial aspect of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s divorce settlement took the form of an NDA. As noted by Variety, both actors agreed not to speak about the other in the press, and if both had stuck to this arrangement, the future would’ve looked very different for the ex-couple. In their agreement, Depp and Heard settled on never making “derogatory, disparaging, critical or accusatory statements, either directly or indirectly, express or implied” about the other, which makes sense given the high-profile nature of their marriage, divorce, and its aftermath. However, as many of us know, said NDA was not adhered to.
In 2018, about two years after Depp and Heard settled, the “Zombieland” actor wrote an op-ed column for The Washington Post, writing that she had witnessed how institutions “protect men” when they’ve had heinous allegations lodged against them. While she didn’t name Depp specifically, Heard alluded to the timing of her marriage, writing that she felt the consequences of speaking out against such a famed actor.
“Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out,” Heard wrote in the now infamous opinion piece. “I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse.” The column would quickly become the center of the highly watched trial between the exes.