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On the May 26 episode of Flaawsome Talk, journalist Kjersti Flaa brought up the trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard while reviewing an article by Forbes. The article claimed that the media thrives on drama involving women, citing an alleged tension between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift.
On the same day, Forbes published an article titled, Taylor Swift And Blake Lively: Subpoena, Spectacle, And Scrutiny. The article claimed that mainstream media misuses female celebrity drama to fuel clicks, regardless of whether the information is verified or not. According to the outlet, this reinforces a sexist narrative, and it "rarely applies to men."
However, Kjersti Flaa called out the article's narrative that men face fewer consequences as misleading and claimed that "these articles" tend to ignore the aftermath of what happens to men when they are proven innocent of a charge.
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"They're saying that men often face fewer consequences, which is not really true," Flaa said.
Flaa supported her claims by giving an example of actor Johnny Depp, who initiated a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard after the latter accused him of domestic abuse.
In an op-ed for the Washington Post in December 2018, Heard referred to herself as an individual "representing domestic abuse," adding, "I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change," but did not directly name Depp in the article.
However, on June 1, 2022, the legal battle between the former couple came to an end after the jury found Heard's claims defamatory, as reported by the Los Angeles Times on May 13.
"Johnny Depp lost his career over what happened with Amber Heard. Although we all saw Amber Heard lying in court several times. It was impossible for Depp to get back on top after that, and he's still struggling," Kjersti Flaa said.
More about Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard Defamation Trial
On April 11, 2022, the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial took place in Fairfax County, Virginia, from April 11 to June 1, 2022. The ex-couple met on the set of the 2011 film, The Rum Diary, and got married four years later. However, on May 23, 2016, Heard filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. The former couple eventually divorced in January 2017, as reported by People Magazine on July 6, 2023. The same week of filing the divorce, Heard filed a domestic violence restraining order against Johnny Depp.
Subsequently, on December 18, 2018, Heard published an op-ed for The Washington Post where she referred to herself as a domestic abuse victim, without mentioning Depp’s name.
However, Johnny Depp denied all the allegations against him and filed a defamation lawsuit against Heard, which prompted her to file a countersuit in August 2020.
Depp’s team remarked:
"The op-ed depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her."
After the six-week trial, Johnny Depp won the defamation case against Heard and was awarded $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Heard won one of three counterclaims against her ex-husband and was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages.
"And now they're also victimizing Taylor Swift"—Kjersti Flaa reflects on the Forbes article
Reflecting on the same article by Forbes, Kjersti Flaa claimed that at first, the media were "victimizing" Blake Lively, and now they are also "victimizing" Taylor Swift amid Lively's legal battle with It Ends With Us star Justin Baldoni. Kjersti Flaa said:
"It's another one of these pieces that we've seen so many times already, where they're victimizing Blake Lively, and now they're also victimizing."
Flaa further claimed that before Justin Baldoni filed a lawsuit on January 16, 2025, against Lively and Ryan Reynolds (Lively's husband), viewers believed in Blake Lively's narrative. For the unversed, Balke Lively filed a lawsuit against It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual assault and orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
Flaa further claimed that the media is "guilty" of putting celebrities on a pedestal and portraying them in a "perfect light," adding:
"They build these people and put them on pedestals for us, and only show the good sides of these people, especially the more serious papers, because they want to have one-on-one exclusive interviews."
Kjersti Flaa continued:
"So they don't want to say anything bad about them, and I've seen this in these interview situations that I've done. You know, if you ask a critical question, if you ask something they don't like, they will take your tape away. So they will make sure that the narrative that you receive as an audience or as the public will always be the perfect version."
The trial is scheduled for March 9, 2026, following the ongoing legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively.
