Amber Heard isn’t happy.
Just days after a poll found that more Americans believe actor Johnny Depp in his defamation case against Heard, she has reportedly fired her public relations team and brought on a new group to help with her image.
“The ‘Aquaman’ actress ditched crisis PR firm Precision Strategies on Thursday after getting frustrated with the press she’s received since her bombshell defamation trial kicked off last month, sources said,” according to the New York Post. She is now using the “consulting firm Shane Communications on retainer to help her get across her side better in the court of public opinion, sources said.”
“She doesn’t like bad headlines,” a source told the Post, while another said Heard, 36, is “frustrated with her story not being told effectively.”
The $50 million defamation trial is entering its third week in a courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia. In the case, Depp, 58, is suing his ex-wife, who he says defamed him in a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic violence.
Heard is expected to take the stand as early as Tuesday.
The actress’ shift comes after a slew of bad headlines, along with the findings of a survey that said more Americans believe Depp than Heard.
“Although most Americans aren’t paying much attention to the defamation trial between actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, those who do think Depp is the one telling the truth,” Rasmussen Reports found.
“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 40% of American Adults believe, based on what they know about the case involving accusations of domestic abuse, that Depp is probably telling the truth. Just 10% think Heard is probably telling the truth. Fifty-one percent (51%) are undecided,” the survey found.
Meanwhile, a petition calling for Heard to be cut from Aquaman 2 reached 3 million signatures, the Daily Mail reported.
“Johnny Depp fans are pleading with filmmakers DC and Warner Bros to ditch the actress from the sequel following the shocking domestic abuse allegations that have emerged in court over the last few weeks,” the UK paper reported. “Heard, 36, starred as Mera in the original film in 2018 alongside Jason Momoa and Nicole Kidman.”
“Critics believe she should suffer the same fate Depp did when he was dropped by Disney in his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the sixth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean – after Heard alleged he had domestically abused her,” the Mail wrote.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.