Suggests Amber Heard snorted cocaine while on the stand in court.
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Actor Amber Heard testifies in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va., on May 5, 2022. (AP)
No evidence Amber Heard used cocaine in court
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• There is no evidence that Amber Heard used cocaine while on the stand in court.
• The claim fits a pattern of social media posts aiming to discredit Heard.
Claims are coming fast and furious about Amber Heard’s behavior during the defamation trial initiated by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, with the latest one suggesting — without evidence — that she used illegal drugs while in court.
A May 6 post on Facebook includes a 15-second video clip of Heard on the stand in court with a caption that says, "DID SHE LITERALLY JUST HAVE A BUMP OF COCAINE ON THE STAND!??" The footage shows Heard wiping her nose with a tissue, pausing momentarily to touch one nostril with her finger while the tissue is still on her face.
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
There is no evidence that Heard used cocaine while in court.
Heard has periodically cried during her testimony, and a longer video of the same proceeding shows that two minutes before the moment depicted in the Facebook clip, she wiped her nose with a tissue.
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In the longer video, at the 12:05 mark, Heard picked up a tissue and wiped her nose for several seconds, then lowered the tissue to her lap. At the 14:38 mark — the moment shown in the Facebook clip — she raised the tissue to her nose again.
Also, those entering the Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, where the trial is being held, are screened for contraband. Security procedures include emptying pockets, having personal belongings X-rayed and walking through a metal detector, according to the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office.
Depp sued Heard for libel after she accused him of domestic abuse in a 2018 opinion editorial in the Washington Post. Depp’s lawyer described the allegations as "catastrophic" to Depp’s career.
During the trial, Heard has been the focus of intense ire from Depp’s fans, particularly on TikTok, where videos ridiculing her testimony have racked up tens of millions of views. Variety called the trial, which is being live-streamed, a "digital media spectacle."
We rate the claim that Heard snorted cocaine while on the stand in court Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Facebook post, May 6, 2022
Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, "Courthouse security," accessed May 12, 2022
PolitiFact, "Amber Heard didn’t steal lines from ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ during testimony in Depp trial," May 9, 2022
Reuters, "Sobbing Amber Heard accuses Johnny Depp of sexual assault," May 6, 2022
Toronto Sun, "Amber Heard caught 'posing' while crying on the stand?" May 10, 2022
USA Today, "When does the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial resume? Answering lawsuit FAQs," May 10, 2022
Variety, "Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Trial: Experts See No Winners, No Lessons," May 10, 2022
Variety, "TikTok Viral Trend: Videos Ridiculing Amber Heard’s Testimony in Johnny Depp Case," May 9, 2022
YouTube, "Part 2 of Amber Heard’s 2nd day testimony in Johnny Depp trial," May 6, 2022
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No evidence Amber Heard used cocaine in court
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