New NBC News Documentary To Explore Social Media's Influence On Public Opinion In Johnny Depp, Amber Heard Trial

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s polarizing legal battle is taking center stage once again in a new NBC News documentary.

The documentary, titled “A Marriage on Trial: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and Truth in the Age of Social Media,” will explore the influence social media had on public opinion as intimate details of the dysfunctional marriage between the two stars, and the domestic violence allegations that stemmed from it, were revealed in the courtroom, according to Variety.

“The Depp v. Heard defamation trial evoked two distinct reactions – those who couldn’t get enough and those who received more than they wanted,” read a description of the documentary from NBC News. “The new deep-dive documentary explores why the trial overwhelmed social media, specifically TikTok, and what viewers missed if social media coverage was their only news source.”

The half-hour documentary, which will debut at 10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday on NBC News Now, is also expected to explore the long-term implications of the verdict, which favored Depp.

“In the wake of a verdict that surprised legal experts, NBC News examines how the trial evolved into the TikTok trial and what the verdict means for future domestic abuse cases,” the description continued.

The documentary, which will also be available to stream on NBCNews.com and Peacock, will include interviews with Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft, American University law professor and gendered violence expert Jamie Abrams, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence CEO Ruth Glenn and reporters assigned to covering the case.

It is produced by NBC News Digital Docs unit.

A Virginia jury awarded Johnny Depp $15 million in damages last month at the conclusion of a lengthy defamation trial.

The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star sued his former wife for defamation in relation to a December 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post, in which she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse, according to The Associated Press.

The jury also opted to award Heard $2 million for her claims of defamation by one of Depp’s lawyers, but the verdict largely favored Depp, who said the decision “gave me my life back.”

In her first public comments after the verdict, Heard told NBC’s “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie last month that she still stands behind her testimony.

“To my dying day, I’ll stand by every word of my testimony,” she said. “I made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve always told the truth.”