Hollywood stars Johnny Depp and Amber Heard face each other in court. They accuse each other of abuse, and it can all be followed live. While the public can already form an opinion, the case continues for a while before the court pronounces its verdict. Dr. Simone Driessen (Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication) reacts to this in the Dutch NOS-podcast 'Lekker Kort'.
The court case between the two former lovers can be watched via various livestreams and that is quite special, says Simone Driessen. “You really get a look behind the scenes of two celebrities who are fighting each other.”
While the case continues, many people online have already made up their minds. For example, there is a petition to remove Amber Heard from the film Aquamen 2, which already has two million signatures, and there is a hashtag that is used massively: #JusticeforJohnny.
According to Simone, this is the result of a situation in which the verdict is not only up to the judge. Because of all the openness, the public also participates and makes its own judgement. “It seems to me a confirmation: watch out, be critical. There are two sides to this story. We have to get to know both before we can make any statements”, Simone emphasises.