Amber Heard’s sister Whitney Henriquez lashed out at MTV following Johnny Depp’s surprise appearance at the music channel’s Video Music Awards on Sunday (28 August) night.
Right after Lizzo’s performance at the beginning of the star-studded ceremony, the 59-year-old actor made a quick cameo as the face of the Moon Person trophy.
“I just want you guys to know I’m available for birthdays, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes – any old thing you need,” said Depp in the brief clip, which saw his face imposed on top of the astronaut figure’s helmet.
The surprise appearance came two months after Depp’s defamation trial victory over Heard.
On an Instagram Story posted Sunday night, Henriquez, who testified as part of the defence in the trial, branded MTV “disgusting”.
“@MTV you’re disgusting and clearly desperate! I really hope that none of the people that made this call have daughters,” she wrote over an image of Heard with the strapline: “I stand with Amber Heard.”
Many fans on the night were also upset with the inclusion of Depp, who remains accused of domestic abuse by Heard despite his trial victory.
During the court case, Henriquez told the jury about a March 2015 incident known as the “staircase incident”.
She testified that Depp struck her in the back while at the top of a staircase, grabbed Heard by the hair and hit her before trashing Heard’s closet.
Depp won his legal case against the Aquaman star over the 2018 article she wrote for The Washington Post, about her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse. His lawyers said that Heard falsely implied that Depp abused her during their relationship.
In June, the jury shared their verdicts, finding that Heard had defamed Depp on all three counts.
She was demanded to award him $10m (£8.4m) in compensatory damages and $5m (£4.2m) in punitive damages. Heard was found to have a partial win in her case and was awarded $2m (£1.6m) in compensatory damages, but no punitive damages.
