How the Depp v. Heard Trial Became a Meme

Summary

Summary of "How the Depp v. Heard Trial Became a Meme" – On the Media Podcast

Episode Release Date: May 12, 2022
Host: Brandi Zadrozny (Guest host for Brooke Gladstone)
Guest: E.J. Dixon, Senior Writer at Rolling Stone

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1. Introduction: The Media Circus Surrounding the Depp v. Heard Trial

Brandi Zadrozny opens the discussion by highlighting the intense media frenzy surrounding the legal battles between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. The trial has escalated into what many describe as a "media circus," with both parties suing each other for defamation. Zadrozny notes the unprecedented level of public engagement, emphasizing that the trial's coverage has significantly surged viewership on platforms like Court TV, doubling its usual ratings.

Brandi Zadrozny [01:05]: "The ratings for Court TV, which is broadcasting every salacious moment of the trial, have more than doubled."

2. Memeification of the Trial: From Courtroom to Viral Memes

E.J. Dixon introduces the concept of the trial's "memeification," a process where serious courtroom moments are transformed into viral internet memes. This phenomenon is unprecedented in legal proceedings, especially given the grave nature of the allegations involved.

E.J. Dixon [01:59]: "I've seen the memeification of the Johnny Depp trial, and I've never really seen that process applied to a trial before, especially in the context of such extreme and horrifying allegations."

One of the earliest memes emerged from Depp's humorous remark about pouring a "mega pint of red wine," which quickly spread across social media platforms, inspiring merchandise like T-shirts and mugs.

Brandi Zadrozny [02:25]: "Depp was described as pouring himself a, quote, mega pint of red wine. That word became a meme."

3. TikTok Trends and Their Impact

The conversation shifts to a more unsettling trend on TikTok, where users have been reenacting Amber Heard's testimony using audio clips from the trial. Specifically, the audio where Heard describes being slapped and responding to Depp. These reenactments often depict domestic violence scenarios in a humorous light, generating tens of millions of views.

E.J. Dixon [03:38]: "People are using the audio and reenacting it on TikTok... the end result is that these people are reenacting a domestic violence scenario that Heard is describing on the stand."

Despite violating TikTok's community guidelines against promoting violence, thousands of such videos persist, including creative renditions like cats dressed as the parties involved.

E.J. Dixon [04:31]: "What the spokesperson actually said is that they prohibit TikTok's anti bullying and harassment guidelines. So the videos... were removed, but there are still thousands using this audio."

4. Spread of Misinformation: Challenges in Fact-Checking

Dixon discusses the rampant misinformation surrounding the trial, highlighting specific instances where false claims have gained traction. One notable example involves Amber Heard's use of a makeup palette to conceal injuries. Misinterpretations led to claims that the palette brand existed before the alleged incidents, fueling skepticism about Heard's testimony.

E.J. Dixon [08:38]: "Amber Heard's lawyer said... she used a makeup palette... Milani made a TikTok that went viral, stating the palette wasn't on the market yet until after Heard alleged abuse."

Additionally, outrageous rumors, such as claims of Heard snorting cocaine on the witness stand, proliferate on social media without credible sources or fact-checking.

Brandi Zadrozny [09:51]: "I've seen claims that Amber Heard is snorting cocaine on the witness stand."

5. Broader Social Implications: Impact on Domestic Violence Perceptions and the MeToo Movement

The podcast delves into the broader societal consequences of trivializing domestic violence through memes and misinformation. Dixon references a 2014 study indicating that sexist or offensive humor related to domestic violence can desensitize society and discourage survivors from coming forward.

E.J. Dixon [10:50]: "Irresponsible or lighthearted coverage of domestic violence victims hurts domestic violence survivors in the long run."

Furthermore, the trial has ignited a backlash against the MeToo movement, with some segments of the population questioning the automatic credibility given to survivors' allegations. This shift has allowed groups like Men's Rights Advocates to proliferate narratives that undermine survivors and promote extremist viewpoints.

E.J. Dixon [07:50]: "There's a simmering backlash to the MeToo movement... far right extremist discourse... rape denialists basically."

6. Conclusion: The Lasting Impact and Future Implications

As the trial progresses, Dixon believes the damage to Amber Heard's public image is irreversible, likely ending her career. Conversely, Johnny Depp may see a resurgence in his career regardless of the trial's outcome, with potential film projects on the horizon.

E.J. Dixon [11:44]: "I think the damage has been done. I don't think Amber Heard is going to have a career after this."

Dixon emphasizes that the true concern lies not in determining the trial's veracity but in understanding its impact on societal attitudes toward abuse survivors. The normalization of mocking and misinformation could have long-term detrimental effects on how domestic violence is perceived and addressed.

E.J. Dixon [12:38]: "The focal point of my coverage is how is this going to impact sexual and physical abuse survivors further on down the road."

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This episode of On the Media provides a comprehensive look into how the Depp v. Heard trial transcended the courtroom, becoming a pervasive meme culture phenomenon that influences public perception, spreads misinformation, and affects societal attitudes towards domestic violence and the MeToo movement.

Transcript

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[Brandi Zadrozny]

I'm Brandi Zadrozny. I'm a reporter for NBC News. But this week I'm sitting in for Brooke Gladstone. Johnny Depp is suing Amber Hearst, his ex wife, for defamation and she's countersuing him for the same. And never has the term media Circus been more apt.

[E.J. Dixon]

Johnny boy. Johnny There is a Johnny Depp supporter right there, right behind the court, right by that garbage can with alpacas. I kid you not. Alpacas that have a sign that says justice for Johnny. There are loads and loads of dirty laundry. I do not think the juice is worth the squeeze for either of these two because these details are horrific. Horrific.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

It all started back in 2018 when Heard wrote an op ed for the Washington Post in which she identifies herself as a survivor of domestic violence. That same year, Depp sued a British tabloid for defamation over headlines that accused him of being an abuser. But he lost that case. Given that all of this stuff has been in the ether for years, you might be forgiven for thinking that there'd be less coverage about this latest trial. But you'd be wrong. The ratings for Court tv, which is broadcasting every salacious moment of the trial, have more than doubled. Pair the live visuals with Depp's massive online fan base and you've got a case being watched billions of times over. In fact, the justice for Johnny Depp hashtag has upwards of 10 billion views on TikTok.

[E.J. Dixon]

I've never seen anything like it.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

E.J. dixon is a senior writer at Rolling Stone, where she covers Internet culture.

[E.J. Dixon]

I've seen it referred to as the memeification of the Johnny Depp trial, and I've never really seen that process applied to a trial before, especially in the context of such extreme and horrifying allegations. The pro Johnny Depp sentiment just so far outweighs the pro Amber Heard sentiment, or even just the neutral sentiment around this trial that it's really not even worth comparing at a certain point.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

The social media phenomenon that exploded around this trial began with videos that joined Johnny Depp poking fun at Amber Heard's lawyer. So, for example, Depp was described as pouring himself a, quote, mega pint of red wine. A mega pint? Yeah, I poured myself A large glass of wine. Right Then that word became a meme. It even made it onto T shirts. Right. Sold by fans and Etsy shops almost.

[E.J. Dixon]

Immediately after it was uttered. There are thousands and thousands of T shirts, mugs, stickers incorporating the Mega Pint meme being sold on Etsy right now.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

A megapint.

[E.J. Dixon]

Megapint of red wine. He's been so charismatic. Like, there's a reason why there are all these memes about him.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

Okay, so Megapint is one thing, but more recently, an unsettling trend has made the rounds on TikTok. And it uses this audio from Heard's testimony. And I was walking out of the bedroom, slapped me across the face. I turned to look at him and I said, johnny, you hit me. You just hit me. Videos featuring this audio have racked up tens of millions of views. Can you describe the trend to me? Sure.

[E.J. Dixon]

People are using the audio and reenacting it on TikTok. And sort of the point that they're trying to make in some of these reenactments is to point out the inconsistency of Heard's testimony. Because the idea is that he can't have hit her in the face and her turned around to deliver this statement to him at the same time. But the end result is that these people are reenacting a domestic violence scenario that Heard is describing on the stand. So it's, you know, tons and tons of videos of mostly men pretending to hit women.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

Are they supposed to be funny?

[E.J. Dixon]

Yes, they are. They are supposed to be funny. There is one video in particular that uses cats dressed as Heard and Johnny Depp's pirates character to sort of recreate the scenario.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

Are these kind of videos allowed on TikTok?

[E.J. Dixon]

Not technically. Not according to a TikTok spokesperson I spoke to about this while reporting this story out. I thought that they violated TikTok community guidelines prohibiting promotions of violence on the platform. But what the spokesperson actually said is that they prohibit TikTok's anti bullying and harassment guidelines. So the videos that I pointed out to the spokesperson were removed from the platform, but there are still, including that cat video that I just mentioned, thousands and thousands of videos using this audio and recreating this trend.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

So who's making these videos and why?

[E.J. Dixon]

You would think that it would just be rabid Johnny Depp Stans. Right, because that's kind of who, at least at the start of the trial, was driving this discourse. But it really is like a very wide range of creators. You know, the person who I spoke to for the piece her page isn't about Johnny Depp or domestic violence at all. Her page is about her cats. But she's got, like 600,000 followers based on, you know, these cute videos of her cats. So it's really creators of all stripes who are jumping on this trend because they know how much engagement content about the Johnny Depp trial can get.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

So, okay, we mentioned earlier that there are a few reasons why this upswell of interest in the Depp Heard case is happening right now. It's televised. It's live. A litany of personal details about some very famous people are being divulged each day as the trial continues. But the major points of this case, they're old news. Why is this explosion of pro dep sentiment being unleashed right now? Are fans making a kind of media that maybe tabloids or more reputable outlets would have done in the past?

[E.J. Dixon]

Well, I think it's a combination of factors. Probably the most major factor is how much this is being fueled by social media and specifically how much it's being fueled by platforms like TikTok, which run on algorithms that reward content that's most likely to get engagement that's usually very sensationalized, regardless of whether the content in the video is harmful or even accurate or not. And, Brandi, I know that's something that you've covered a great deal, and I think it really applies here in the context of this case. I'm talking to people, and I'm one of them who did not really seek information about this trial at all, but were just constantly, constantly fed these pro Johnny Depp memes in the algorithm that we're getting 6, 7, 8 million likes. And I think that's very purposeful on TikTok's part. I think the reason why they're not removing some of this more harmful content is because they know precisely how much engagement it is getting and how much it's fueling users staying time on the app and key metrics like that. I think another aspect of this is also, I think it's a simmering backlash to the MeToo movement. You know, when Amber Heard first came out with her allegations against Johnny Depp, it was sort of at the peak of the movement, and she was very much embraced as a prominent domestic violence survivor. She was kind of riding the wave of the movement, as it were. As time has gone on, there has been a lot of sort of simmering sentiment, questioning the MeToo movement. And the whole idea that all women who allege violence of any kind should be believed. And you're Sort of seeing this extra explosion of that previously, you know, concealed sentiment on social media. A lot of the people that I'm seeing in my mentions, they are Johnny Depp stans, and they are people who have a vested interest in saying that Johnny Depp is innocent. But it's also MRAs, Men's Rights Advocates. Yes. And people who, you know, are saying, oh, you're just a woman who only believes anyone who doesn't have a penis. Or you're a misandrist, you know, very far right extremist discourse. It's kind of fascinating to see the confluence of these two sectors. Right. The pro Johnny Depp people sort of intermingling with these far right rape denialists, basically.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

What kind of misinformation are you seeing about this trial?

[E.J. Dixon]

Oh, it's endless. I think the biggest piece of misinformation that I've seen is the coverage of the Milani makeup palette. Do you know. Do you know what I'm referring to? I do, yeah. Amber Heard's lawyer said in opening arguments that she used a makeup palette to cover her injuries and she showed the product in court. She didn't specify the brand of the palette, but what she held up in court did look a lot like a specific product made by this brand called Milani. And what Milani did in response to getting this kind of exposure was make a TikTok that went viral. Sort of fact checking Amber Heard's lawyer's claim, like stating the palette wasn't on the market yet until after Heard alleged that Johnny Depp abused her. Which has really fueled the narrative that Amber Heard is not telling the truth. Melania's response was covered by a lot of news organizations, but the fact that Heard's lawyer never specifically cited this palette at all in her opening argument, or even that it was her lawyer who said it and not Heard herself. No one thought to publish a story about that at all. They just wanted to cover Melania's sassy rebuttal of her lawyer for clout.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

I've seen claims that Amber Heard is snorting cocaine on the witness stand. A lot of these just really out there things. How important do you think it is and how much bandwidth do you think news organizations have to fact check all of these things?

[E.J. Dixon]

I think it's incredibly important. I have my guesses as to why they're not doing it. I think in part it is a bandwidth issue. You know, probably even a bigger impediment to coverage of the trial at first was the fact that most newsrooms do not have a dedicated reporter on TikTok, you know, being sort of submerged into, like, the morass of the coverage of this trial. I don't think a lot of newsrooms really knew what was going on or what direction the discourse was going in. And so I think that very much reflects Newsroom's lack of understanding about social media in general.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

This is about more than just TikTok videos. What's at stake here?

[E.J. Dixon]

Well, we know that, you know, irresponsible or lighthearted coverage of domestic violence victims hurts domestic violence survivors in the long run. There's a 2014 study that suggests that, quote, using sexist humor, offensive and prejudicial humor, jokes promoting destructions to victims of dv and language in connection with DV allow society to view this type of violence as more acceptable. Which certainly describes a lot of the memes I'm seeing on TikTok about Amber Heard right now. And regardless of whether of who you know is right or wrong in this scenario or who's telling the truth or who's lying, the fact is that domestic violence survivors are going to see these memes, and they're going to see the treatment of Heard, and it's going to discourage them from coming forward as a result, because nobody wants to be treated like this in the public eye.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

Do you think the outcome of this case matters at this point?

[E.J. Dixon]

I think the damage has been done. I don't think Amber Heard is going to have a career after this. I think the jury's out on whether Johnny Depp will. I suspect he might. There are whispers of people close to him sort of wanting to get together a film project for him as soon as possible after this and after his name is cleared. But I think that's going to happen either way, regardless of what way the verdict goes. I have no opinion on who is right or who is wrong. And I'm not just saying that for the sake of maintaining journalistic objectivity. I have no opinion because there's ultimately no way to know the truth to some extent. I think that journalists are somewhat limited in what they can and can't fact check throughout the trial. That's not what interests me. That's not sort of the focal point of my coverage. The focal point of my coverage is how is this going to impact sexual and physical abuse survivors further on down the road. That's the conversation that I think most people need to be having right now.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

Thank you, E.J.

[E.J. Dixon]

Thank you so much.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

E.J. dixon is a senior writer at Rolling Stone. She covers Internet culture.

[E.J. Dixon]

Cause I'm an international super spy.

[Brandi Zadrozny]

Thanks for listening to this week's podcast extra talking of TikTok on the big show this week we have a taxonomy of TikTok moral panics that you won't want to miss. See you then. I'm Brandi Zadrozny.

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