"I wanted Johnny to win but I didn't expect him to": Celebrities react to verdict as jury sides with Johnny Depp in libel case 

The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial finally came to an end as jurors ruled in favor of the Pirates of the Caribbean star following nearly seven weeks of deliberations at the Fairfax County court.

On Wednesday, June 1, 2022, the seven-body jury reached a unanimous verdict that Heard defamed Depp in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed, where she claimed to be a domestic abuse survivor.

Jurors also concluded that Heard published the article to defame Depp and his public image. Following the ruling, Depp took to Instagram to issue an official statement about the verdict.

He said that six years ago, "false, very serious and criminal allegations" were levied upon him through the media, but the jury finally gave him his life back with the verdict:

Meanwhile, Heard mentioned that she was "disappointed and heartbroken" with the ruling and claimed that the verdict was a "setback" for women who have experienced violence in their lives:

As per the official verdict, the jury awarded Johnny Depp $15 million with $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The court also awarded Heard $2 million for the claim that statements made about the star by Depp's former lawyer Adam Waldman were defamatory.

The final verdict of the high-profile Depp vs. Heard trial left the actor's fans highly elated and prompted them to rejoice on social media. Several celebrities also came together to react to the actor's historic win and Heard's loss.

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A look into the celebrity reactions to Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial verdict

Multiple celebrities took to social media to react to the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial verdict (Image via Getty Images)

As the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial has finally come to an end, many celebrities shared their opinions on the historic verdict. Actress Sharon Osbourne spoke about the trial during an appearance on Piers Morgan's TalkTV show and said that she was happy for Depp even though the verdict left her shocked:

“Wow, it wasn't what I was expecting. I mean, I wanted Johnny to win but I didn't expect him to.”

She then went on to describe Johnny Depp as a “gentle soul” and shared an off-camera anecdote to speak about the actor’s behavior:

“He spent about 45 minutes in his dressing room on his knees, talking to this little girl that was reading her diary to him. Now, I don't know many guys that would sit back and do that. There weren't any cameras around there were no film crews. He did it because he's a gentle soul.”

Osbourne admitted that the actor “lost his rag” sometimes but said he was a “good human being.” However, she also mentioned that the relationship between Depp and Heard was toxic:

“They were both abusive, both very, very abusive to each other.”

However, Osbourne clarified that Heard was capable of leaving early on but continued to “push” Depp in an alleged attempt to “destroy him.”

“She could have backed out somehow, she could have got to him, there could have been something to save it going on. Because he wouldn't have gone this far, if she didn't push and push and push… she wanted to destroy him.”

Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean star and active supporter Greg Ellis tweeted in favor of the actor using a Pirates reference:

The Walking Dead alum Laurie Holden also celebrated Depp’s win on social media and said that “justice was served”:

Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson took to Instagram to post a photo of Johnny Depp with a simple caption that read “YESSS”:

Another supportive Instagram post was also shared by Yul’s daughter Victoria Brynner with a caption that read "TRUTH":

Numerous celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Emma Roberts, Zoe Saldana, Bella Hadid, Morgana Robinson, Chase Stokes, Gemma Chan, Ricki Lake, Nicki Bella, Jennifer Aniston, Ryan Adams, Taika Waititi, Joey King, Riley Keough, and Amber Heard’s Aquaman co-star Jason Momoa were seen liking and commenting on Johnny Depp’s Instagram post about his win in the defamation trial.

As the love and support for Depp continued to pour in online, a few celebrities also expressed their disappointment with the verdict and sided with Heard. Amy Schumer took to Instagram to share a cryptic Gloria Steinem quote:

Former The View co-host Meghan McCain said, “#MeToo is dead” in a now-deleted tweet. Meanwhile, Bill & Ted star Alex Winter tweeted that he needed a “timeline cleanse” shortly after the verdict:

Other celebrities who supported Heard during the defamation trial included Howard Stern and Julia Fox.