amber heard today interview© Photo: Getty Images

Amber Heard breaks silence on 'humiliating' trial in tell-all interview with Savannah Guthrie

The Aquaman actress finally spoke up

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
Updated: June 14, 2022

Amber Heard finally broke her silence on the defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp that captivated much of the world.

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The actress sat down with Today star Savannah Guthrie for an exclusive conversation a little over a week after her loss in the trial, with the first part of the conversation airing on Tuesday.

VIDEO: Amber Heard's lawyer makes TV debut on CBS Mornings

When asked by Savannah how she felt after the trial and whether the verdict had sunk in, Amber said: "How could it? It's surreal, and difficult. In part, yes. This has been a long time coming."

She did state that she stood by her statements, however, adding: "Of course, to my dying day, I will stand by every word of my testimony.

"I think the vast majority of this trial was played out on social media. I think that this trial is an example of that gone haywire. And the jury's not immune to that…how could they not? I think even the most well-intentioned juror, it would've been impossible to avoid this."

MORE: Amber Heard shares fears for women's rights as Johnny Depp says he is 'moving forward'

MORE: Amber Heard's lawyer Elaine Bredehoft reveals what really happened after the trial verdict

She also talked about the suffering she went through due to the vitriol against her on social platforms, saying: "Every single day I passed 3-6 blocks holding signs saying 'burn the witch,' 'death to Amber.'

"This is the most humiliating and horrible thing I've ever been through. I've never felt more removed from my own humanity. I felt less than human.

Amber opened up in her first interview since the trial

The Aquaman star even opened up about whether she agreed with the negative reaction towards both her and Johnny, explaining: "Absolutely. I would not blame the average person for looking at this and how it's been covered and not think that it is Hollywood brats at their absolute worst."

She even spoke out against her ex-husband's legal team for the claims they made about her stance and lack of accountability, calling her a "good actress": "Says the lawyer for the man who convinced the world he had scissors for fingers? I'm the performer. I'd listened to weeks of testimony saying quite directly that I'm a terrible actress. So I'm a bit confused how I could be both.

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"I will say his lawyers certainly did a better job of distracting the jury from the important issues."

Amber also candidly opened up about the claim that she was just as much of an abusive partner or more, sharing: "I never had to instigate it, I responded to it. When you're living in violence and it becomes normal, as I testified to, you have to adapt.

© Photo: Getty Images

The actress lost the defamation trial

"I did do and say horrible and regrettable things throughout my relationship. I behaved in horrible, almost unrecognizable to myself ways. I have so much regret. I've freely and openly talked about what I did.

"I've talked about the horrible language, being pushed to the extent that I didn't know the difference between right and wrong. I will always continue to feel like I was part of this. And it was ugly, and it could be very beautiful. It was very, very toxic. We were awful to each other. I made a lot of mistakes. But I've always told the truth."

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