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Amber Heard spoke with Savannah Guthrie of the Today show for the first time since losing her high-profile defamation trial against former husband Johnny Depp. The news about Heard’s prime-time interview was first announced by NBC on Monday.
Shortly after, a spokesperson for Heard told Newsweek that the actress decided to speak out in public in response to the press coverage done by Depp’s legal team last week:
“Johnny Depp's legal team blanketed the media for days after the verdict with numerous statements and interviews on television... Ms. Heard simply intended to respond to what they aggressively did last week; she did so by expressing her thoughts and feelings, much of which she was not allowed to do on the witness stand.”
The latest interview comes after Savannah Guthrie sat down with Depp’s lawyers Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew to discuss the defamation verdict. During the interview, the Today show co-host also revealed that her husband Michael Feldman served as a consultant for Johnny Depp during the trial:
“And a quick disclosure, my husband has done consulting work for the Depp legal team, but not in connection with this interview.”
Prior to interviewing Vasquez and Chew, Guthrie also spoke to Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft, who revealed that Heard had "excellent grounds" to appeal the defamation verdict. The journalist has also provided extensive coverage of the Depp vs. Heard trial that continued for nearly seven weeks, starting on April 11.
Michael Feldman previously worked for Al Gore
Michael Feldman is a former political adviser and public relations consultant who previously worked for the former Vice President Al Gore during his 2000 presidential campaign. According to Entertainment Tonight, he currently serves as the managing editor and co-chairman of the FGS Global PR Firm.
The consultant is also a founding member and managing director of the consulting firm The Glover Park Group. He reportedly founded the firm in association with Bill Clinton and Al Gore in 2001. Last year, the company completed a merger and was renamed Finsbury Glover Hering Global.
In 2014, Feldman spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his expertise in the entertainment industry. At the time, the publication dubbed the consultant as “Hollywood’s PR guy in D.C” and revealed that he previously worked behind the scenes to promote projects like Noah, An Inconvenient Truth, Captain Phillips, Fahrenheit 9/11 and CBS’ Madam Secretary.
Michael Feldman reportedly started dating journalist Savannah Guthrie in late 2009. News of their relationship came to light after they were spotted on a vacation in Turks and Caicos. The duo announced their engagement in 2013 and tied the knot on March 15, 2014, in Tucson, Arizona.
Shortly after, Guthrie announced she was four months pregnant and the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Vale, in August 2014. The pair also welcomed their second child in 2016.
Feldman recently made news after Guthrie revealed he worked as Johnny Depp’s consultant during his defamation trial against Amber Heard. However, the former has not yet provided any official statement about his association with Depp.
A look into Amber Heard’s interview with Savannah Guthrie
During her first televised interview after Johnny Depp's defamation trial, Amber Heard sat down with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie and discussed her opinion on the historic verdict. The actress said that despite the ruling going against her favour, she does not “blame the jury”:
“I don't blame them. I actually understand. He's a beloved character and people feel they know him. He's a fantastic actor.”
When Guthrie told Heard that jurors did not believe her testimony and thought she was lying, the Aquaman star answered:
“How could they not come to that conclusion? They had sat in those seats and heard over three weeks of non-stop, relentless testimony from paid employees.”
The interviewer also asked if Heard stands by her testimony and her abuse allegations against Depp. The latter replied:
“To my dying day will stand by every word of my testimony.”
Amber Heard’s full interview with Savannah Guthrie is scheduled to air on Friday, June 17, 8pm EST on Dateline. Parts of the conversation are also being aired on The Today show on June 14 and June 15.
