Data analyst Christopher Bouzy’s work exposing the coordinated hate campaign against Meghan Markle has received the majority of media attention, but a new documentary on Johnny Depp from the award-winning Discovery+ network revealed eye-opening research into similar attacks on Amber Heard.
“Early 2020 we were contacted to look at activity on Twitter and we were able to determine close to 6,000 fake or inauthentic accounts that were targeting Ms. Heard,” says Bouzy. “Definitely a smear campaign, definitely a coordinated influence campaign.”
Rumors of a paid influence campaign using bots and trolls to spread disinformation on Ms. Heard began circulating in late 2019 after hundreds of new social media accounts and websites sprang up almost overnight with seemingly one goal in mind: Praising Johnny Depp and trashing his ex-wife. Included in the daily social media posts and website articles were wildly exaggerated accounts of the couple’s tumultuous marriage, completely fabricated rumors involving Ms. Heard’s status in Aquaman II, FBI and LAPD investigations, and partial evidence leaked by then-Johnny Depp attorney Adam Waldman – which ultimately caused Judge Bruce White to ban him from his courtroom in the upcoming Virginia libel case.
“You really didn’t have to be a pro to see it,” Bouzy remarks. “It wasn’t just some disgruntled fans. It was a targeted operation, one of the most sophisticated we’ve seen.”
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Johnny Depp Warned Ex Amber Heard Is “Begging for Global Humiliation and She’s Going to Get It” in Text
In March of last year, Depp’s text messages were at the center of a UK High Court hearing in his libel case against The Sun newspaper over allegations he was violent and abusive towards his ex-wife. Adam Wolanski QC, representing the newspaper, read out a text message Depp sent to his sister Christi Dembrowski in June 2016 in which he said, “I want her replaced on that WB film (Aquaman).”
“Her sole fault appears to be that she crossed Mr. Depp, one of the most influential and revered people in Hollywood,” Wolanski said.
A second text, sent by Depp to his friend Christian Carino on August 15, 2016, was read out by the barrister. This text was sent the day after Depp and Heard reached a legal agreement ending their marriage.
“She is begging for global humiliation,” Depp’s text said. “She is going to get it. I’m so happy she wants to go to fight this out. She will hit the wall hard. I can only hope that karma takes the gift of breath from her. Sorry man, but now I will stop at nothing.”
Widely Circulated and Scurrilous Accusations
The similarly worded social posts and website articles – blasted out 24-7 – ranged from silly claims Ms. Heard painted on bruises with makeup to now disproven claims Ms. Heard was fired from her role as Queen Mera in the DC Comics Aquaman franchise. Other charges were more sinister in their dishonesty – she was being investigated by the FBI, the LAPD, and being charged with drugging and trying to rape a female model. Along the way, selectively edited tapes and fake court documents were circulated to give false impressions about the ongoing legal proceedings.
Johnny Depp Lost a Case He Was Widely Expected to Win
Depp likely felt his case in the UK was an easy win. For other celebrities in his position, British courts have traditionally been viewed as a safer bet than American ones when it comes to libel cases, due to the different standards of proof. In the United Kingdom, the burden falls on the party accused of libel-so in this case The Sun had to prove that it was telling the truth. In the U.S., the burden falls on the plaintiff to prove that the defendant made a false allegation and that the defendant knew that it was false.
Depp’s loyal fans and his incel cheerleaders were certainly not expecting the verdict of British judge Andrew Nicol in favor of Amber Heard and the Sun.
“Taking all the evidence together, I accept that she was the victim of sustained and multiple assaults by Mr. Depp in Australia,” the judge said. “I accept her evidence of the nature of the assaults [Depp] committed against her. They must have been terrifying.” *
You are such a fucking asshole it shows everytime you attempt to write about JD>HAHAHAH YOU CANT WIN BECAUSE AFTER ALL YOUR bS SHE WILL BE TAKEN TO TRIAL, IS BEING TAKEN and will be taken TO TRIAL BECAUSE SHE IS BEING INVESTIGATED BT THE LAPD, THE AuSSIE GOV’t AND THE FUCKING BI!
Where have I heard that before? Hmmm … oh yes, from every incel and DeppAnon cult member before the UK trial. How’d that turn out for you?
It’s literally so refreshing to see this finally out out there.she has an INSANE amount of fake accounts after her it’s really disturbing for anyone who has been following this whole thing. The amount of false articles out there about it are also really disturbing, Depp basically paid to try to ruin her life for speaking out against him.
And all because she dared to stand up to a powerful man who was abusing her.
Thank you for this article. It’s refreshing to read something objective about the obvious coordinated smear campaign against Amber Heard. I hope Bouzy’s work is presented as evidence at the trial. And, although a long shot, it’d be great if those who conspired to coordinate the smear campaign be held accountable.
The misogynistic “Amber is the real abuser” crap is a very sad reflection of our society although people who believe and cling to this sort of s*** are 100 times more likely to be vocal about it. Knowing that many of the insanely wrong comments are generated by over 6000 fake accounts takes some of the shame away from society at large.
To any bots and non-bots who will undoubtedly reply to this comment, spewing bullshit and vitriol, STFU!! I don’t care what you have to say. You are the real abusers, and I wouldn’t reply to any of you. My comments are for the good people of the world, not you.
I’ve come across this article during the Virginia trial in 2022. Wow, what a relief. The level of hate towards this woman is frightening.
Thank you for this information. It is now more apparent than ever that his hysterical supporters have been duped on a massive scale. It’s interesting to know he had a better chance of winning in the UK, and obviously didn’t. Some of the other players involved in the smear campaign are now being revealed in court. It’s also interesting that one of them (That Umbrella Guy) led a massive campaign of self-victimisation, claiming YouTube was censoring content about Amber Heard and attacking creators, which given what is happening now, was obviously false. They are playing audiences like a fiddle.