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Amber Heard's sister Whitney Heard has taken to social media to call out MTV for including Amber Heard's ex-husband Johnny Depp in the VMAs over the weekend.
Depp and Amber Heard just finished a civil defamation trial in June stemming from allegations of physical, mental and sexual abuse Heard leveled at her ex-husband. Depp received a judgment in his favor.
Depp's VMAs appearance seemed to have been some sort of attempt at a career rehabilitation, with Depp joking about needing work now that the trial is over.
In an Instagram Story, a screenshot of which can be seen below, Whitney Heard called his VMA appearance "disgusting" and "desperate" and called out MTV for enabling Depp.
\u201cwhitney!!\u201d— amber heard archive \uea00 (@amber heard archive \uea00) 1661766944
In her Story, Whitney renamed the VMAs the "DVMAs" in reference to the abbreviation for domestic violence, "DV." She wrote:
"@MTV you're disgusting and clearly desperate! I really hope that none of the people that made this call have daughters."
She also added the hashtag #ISTANDWITHAMBERHEARD.
Depp's rather strange appearances at the VMAs definitely got people talking.
In each cameo, he appeared onstage digitally as a hologram inside a spacesuit, a reference to the "Moon Man" that has been MTV's mascot for decades. In each appearance, Depp launched into a series of odd jokes about his supposedly failed career.
In the lengthiest, Depp said:
"I just want you guys to know that I’m available for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes — any old thing you need. Anything. You name it. Oh! I’m also a dentist.”
In another he joked to the camera, "You know what? I needed the work!"
The VMAs stunt was Depp's first public appearance since the conclusion of the trial between him and Heard, and it definitely did not go over well with many people on Twitter, and they applauded Whitney for speaking out.
\u201c@people She's right, he humiliated himself with this one, it was painful to watch\u201d— People (@People) 1661784961
\u201c@heardsstan Im happy Whitney spoke up about this! Lets Go!\u201d— amber heard archive \uea00 (@amber heard archive \uea00) 1661766944
\u201cJohnny Depp - a proven abuser - being at the VMAs making jokes is exactly why abuse victims don\u2019t come forward and why the toxic culture of intimate partner violent persists. The entertainment industry is truly irredeemable.\u201d— celia (@celia) 1661779945
\u201cWhen Amber won in the UK v little changed. Petitions to have her fired from Aquaman 2 continued to gain traction. The social media trolling got worse. In the three months since Depp won in the US. he went on tour, released an album, landed a role, and was invited to the VMAs.\u201d— Eve Barlow (@Eve Barlow) 1661723895
\u201c@PopCrave And shes 100% right! We stand with amber!\u201d— Pop Crave (@Pop Crave) 1661787702
\u201c@PopCrave nobody even wanted him there\u201d— Pop Crave (@Pop Crave) 1661787702
\u201chollywood LOVES to remind everyone just how much they live to protect abusers. they will go out of their way to do it, actually. johnny depp has no real connection to the VMAs, but he could be there anyway cause that\u2019s what they do.\u201d— sk (@sk) 1661015313
\u201cI started off the night being so mad and upset that Johnny Depp was attending the #VMAs. But now I\u2019m genuinely cracking up because how embarrassing for him and he is being DRAGGED and I\u2019m here for it. #DVMAs #IStandWithAmberHeard #MoonManDepp\u201d— YOU ARE HEARD (@YOU ARE HEARD) 1661734871
But others were on Depp's side and loved his VMAs cameo.
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t even nominated, but Johnny Depp won the #VMAs \n\n\ud83d\udc51\n\n#JohnnyDeppRisesVMA\u201d— Arwen sparrow \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f (@Arwen sparrow \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f) 1661742722
\u201cJohnny Depp hasn\u2019t said a word for 3 months. He\u2019s been booked and busy while the other side is still obsessed and won\u2019t leave him alone. I love how they don\u2019t exist to him, meanwhile he\u2019s living rent free in their heads \n#Vmas \n#JohnnyDeppRisesVMA\u201d— KD \ud83d\udc9c\ud83d\udc51 (@KD \ud83d\udc9c\ud83d\udc51) 1661648519
\u201c@Variety Unforgettable! \u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f #JohnnyDeppRisesVMA\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1661734805
Depp claims it was actually Heard who abused him during their marriage, not the other way around.
A jury agreed in part and ordered Heard to pay Depp a total of $15 million in damages. In her countersuit, she was awarded $2 million in damages to be paid by Depp.