NBC “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie challenged actress Amber Heard during her first post-trial interview, pressing her to defend her continued claims that she had never instigated violence with her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp.
Heard insisted several times that any time she may have gotten physical with Depp, it was a result of living in a toxic, abusive situation — a situation in which she painted herself as the victim. Guthrie pushed back, noting that both audio tapes and witnesses had appeared to suggest the opposite was true.
WATCH:
"Did they all come in and lie in court?" Savannah Guthrie challenges Amber Heard over her continued claims that she didn't instigate violence.
Heard: "I'm not here to call any witnesses any names …" pic.twitter.com/TCa9TfN2MS— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) June 14, 2022
“I am looking at a transcript that says he says you start physical fights and you say, ‘I did start a physical fight, I can’t promise you I won’t get physical again,'” Guthrie began. “I mean, this is in black and white. I understand context. But you are testifying and telling me today I never started a physical fight. And here you are on tape saying you did.”
Heard argued that her admission was a function of being the victim of abuse, claiming that she had said the things heard on audio recordings while she was in fear for her safety.
“When your life is at risk, not only will you take the blame for things that you shouldn’t take the blame for, but when you are in an abusive dynamic, psychologically, emotionally, and physically, you don’t have the resources that, say, you or I do — with the luxury of saying hey, this is black and white. Because it is anything but when you are living in it,” Heard continued.
“But there are other times,” Guthrie pushed back. “There is another tape where you are taunting him and saying, ‘Oh tell the world, Johnny Depp, I, a man, am the victim of domestic violence …'”
Heard appeared to claim that some of the quotes were out of context, arguing that they were just snippets of hours-long discussions and were not fully representative of those conversations.
“Could your side have just put the whole three hours in then?” Guthrie asked.
“I’m not a lawyer,” Heard replied, saying again that when she had been under “extreme amounts of emotional, psychologically and physical distress” when those recordings were made.
“He said he never hit you. Is that a lie?” Guthrie asked point-blank.
“Yes it is,” Heard said.
“What about the witnesses who said they have seen you instigate physical violence?” Guthrie pressed again.
“I’ve seen first hand how people will file rank and support a person they depend on,” Heard replied, appearing to suggest that witnesses had lied for Depp.
Guthrie responded, “Did they all come in and lie in court?”
“I’m not here to call any witnesses any names,” Heard said then, going on to concede that she had said and done some things that she regretted while she was involved with Depp.
“We were awful to each other. You know, I made a lot of — lot of mistakes. A lot of mistakes. But I’ve always told the truth,” she claimed.