Monica Lewinsky on Depp-Heard trial: ‘We are all guilty’

Monica Lewinsky weighed in on the defamation trial involving former celebrity couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard on Tuesday, denouncing what she called “courtroom porn” as jury deliberations continue.

Lewinsky, a Vanity Fair contributing editor, wrote in a piece for the magazine that compared to past blockbuster trials, the public is now largely seeing testimony through “biased, curated and cursory” social media feeds and memes.

“We are drenched in the taint of the dirt and aggression of the social media wars,” she wrote. 

“The obsessive chatter around the Depp–Heard trial is just one small example of the ever-expanding, ever-demanding search for schadenfreude and titillation,” she continued. “No matter whom the jury’s verdict favors — be it defendant Heard or plaintiff Depp — we are guilty.”

The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star sued his ex-wife following an op-ed she wrote in which she made allegations of sexual violence. In return, Heard filed a counterclaim of $100 million against Depp, claiming damage to her reputation.

Depp, 58, alleges that the article ruined his reputation and cost him roles despite it not explicitly mentioning him by name. He said he hasn’t been cast in a major film since the release of the story. 

Heard, 36, alleges that her former husband damaged her reputation by calling her a liar for her allegations of sexual violence.

The jury has continued to deliberate following a six-week trial in Fairfax County, Va., that at times went viral on social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Some videos have garnered millions of views in a matter of days.

Lewinsky, who in the 1990s became the center of then-President Clinton’s impeachment over their widely publicized affair while she was a White House intern, said some have “co-opted the trial” for their own purposes, devaluing “our dignity and humanity.”

“Having been on the receiving end of this kind of cruelty, I can tell you the scars never fade,” she wrote.

In addition to her role at Vanity Fair, Lewinsky has become a prominent anti-cyberbullying advocate following her involvement in the Clinton impeachment.

Lewinsky also said she “wasn’t surprised” to see that memes about Heard “far outnumbered” those about Depp. She noted viral clips highlighting Depp’s attorney, Camille Vasquez, questioning Heard and other witnesses.

“You thought we wouldn’t have any girl-on-girl action in this trial?” Lewinsky wrote. “That’s on misogyny’s greatest-hits album.”

She added that the disparity proved “larger implications for our culture” and is her most concerning takeaway from the trial.

“Because the trial has also been available live on our screens, we think, subconsciously, that we have a right to look and watch,” Lewinsky said. “To judge. To comment.”