The road to Johnny Depp’s controversial defamation trial against Amber Heard has been long, full of obstacles and unexpected twists, it could even be described as something straight out of a movie. It all started in 2018, when Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post, in which she spoke about what it’s like to be a victim of domestic abuse from a public figure’s perspective.

Despite the fact that Amber never mentioned Johnny in the publication, it was considered an act of defamation, because, in the article, the artist implies that she suffered from abuse by her ex-husband. This was the trigger for Depp‘s $50 million lawsuits against Heard, which in addition to blaming her for defamation, claims that these false accusations cost the actor her iconic role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

In addition, the actor also launched a lawsuit against the British newspaper The Sun, for having called him a wife-beater. That trial ended in November 2020 in favor of The Sun. Shortly thereafter, Depp was forced to leave the Fantastic Beasts franchise due to the case, while Heard was able to retain her role as Mera in Aquaman 2 without issue.

The case has undoubtedly attracted public attention, and it was recently announced that people will be able to watch the trial live for free. With the authorization of the judge in charge, said trial between Depp and Heard will be broadcast on Court TV. In a statement, the interim head of the network, Ethan Nelson, revealed why they have decided to televise an event as important as this:

Court cases that are as high-profile as this one often create a lot of noise, and it can be difficult for viewers to overcome these distractions to get a clear picture of the facts, but that’s where we come in. Between the camera airing directly from the courtroom and our lineup of top-notch talent, Court TV will be the true source for an unbiased, middle-of-the-road perspective of the trial as it unfolds.