Over recent years, celebrity court cases have become similar to reality TV. 2022 – the year where people were live-tweeting the Depp vs Heard case like it was an episode of Love Island. The case had the internet turning years’ worth of abuse and trauma into memes – including company accounts getting involved and making jokes, some of them even playing vigilante.

 

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It is hard to not see them as permanently being on a stage – especially when it is your favourite actors.

Why are celebrity court cases so entertaining to the public? Should it really be spectated the same way we consume reality TV? The suffering of people should not be used as entertainment – it all sounds rather dystopian. But it all comes down to the fact these are celebrities, who are unfortunately almost seen as props to the world. Their lives so distant and far away from the general population. It is hard to not see them as permanently being on a stage – especially when it is your favourite actors.

 

But when these cases unfold, we are not just spectators: we become critics. Watching the “drama” unfold like an Agatha Christie story, desperately trying to figure out “whodunnit” – as if we are not commenting on real-life abuse. It is easier to take a side when you have not lived it yourself. When you’re so far apart from the people – even so far apart from the trial itself.

 

The majority of people commenting on Depp vs Heard most likely didn’t even watch the trial.  Despite the entire thing being aired,  it is probable most people formed their opinions from out-of-context TikTok clips, memes, and skits, following the collective opinion of others. Social media users will see a tweet saying, “Johnny Depp is good, and Amber Heard is bad,” and think that warrants joining in on the hate campaign.

 

It is also interesting to see how quickly people’s perceptions change, how little it takes for someone to switch up. Amber Heard is receiving floods of support in recent days, some reading further into the case and changing their opinions. Blake Lively kept quiet whilst Justin Baldoni brewed a smear campaign against her for months. Now that her side of the story has been released, people are suddenly rallying behind her. I mean, it is completely reasonable – opinions change when you gain new, valuable information, right? But what if Baldoni released new information – could there be another changing of the tides?

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If we erased all Johnny Depp’s movies from our mind, would the public response to the case have been different?

 

Overall, I think it is better for the general public to stay out of these celebrity court cases. When it comes to public figures, your biases will always come in the way of forming a rational opinion. You would not be allowed to sit on the jury for your best friend’s court case – your perspective would be tainted. If we erased all Johnny Depp’s movies from our mind, would the public response to the case have been different?

 

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