Not on a team. Jason Momoa quietly reacted to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s Instagram statements. The Aquaman actor seemingly liked both of the opposing side’s statements and redacted his likes from both posts.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard posted their thoughts on Instagram about the verdict of the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s defamation trial against the Aquaman actress on June 1, 2022.. Depp sued Heard in 2019 after she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post about her experience with domestic violence. Though the op-ed did not name any names, Depp claimed that the article made him lose his acting roles. After a long six-week trial, the verdict was announced on June 1, 2022, where Depp won the case and $15 million dollars was awarded to him. Heard won $2 million in her countersuit against Depp. In a BuzzFeed article that was released on June 2, 2022, Momoa—who starred with Heard in Aquaman and its sequel, Aquaman the Lost Kingdom—was the sole celebrity who liked both of their posts. As of writing this article, it appears that he unliked both of the posts.
In an Instagram post that he posted on June 1, 2022, Johnny said, “Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the life of my chidlren, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people, who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed.” He continued, “I am, and have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colassal support and kindness from around the world. I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, me or women, who have found themselves in my situation and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in media.”
Amber posted her reaction to the verdict in an Instagram post on June 1, 2022.:”The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex husband.” She then explained, I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
Momoa has been supportive of Heard throughout the trial and their filming of Aquaman 2. In a testimony from DC Movies president James Hamada, it was revealed that Amber was significantly cut from the sequel of Aquaman due to “lack of chemistry” after Amber claimed that the defamation trial had impacted her screentime as the role of Mera. However, it was revealed during a testimony that Momoa and Aquaman director James Wan were “adamant she was in the film.” According to Hollywood expert Kathryn Arnold, who testified during the trial, both James and Jason were very “committed to” Amber.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) for confidential support.