Court TV To Televise Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Defamation Trial

Court TV will carry the televised feed of the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial, which is scheduled to begin next week in Fairfax County, VA.

The network will be the pool feed provider for the trial, and plans to provide coverage of the proceedings.

Ethan Nelson, Acting Head of Court TV, said in a statement, “Court cases that are as high-profile as this one often create a lot of noise, and it can be difficult for viewers to break through these distractions to have a clear picture of the facts, but that’s where we come in.”

Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard after she wrote a Washington Post essay in 2018, headlined “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” Although the essay didn’t mention Depp by name, he claims that it damaged his reputation and cost him a role in another Pirates of the Caribbean. Heard has filed a counterclaim.

The trial is scheduled to begin on Monday. The pool feed will be available after jury selection is completed. Court Tv previously has served the pool team provider for the Derek Chauvin and Kim Potter trial, as well as the trial of the three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery. Court TV’s team includes anchors Vinnie Politan, Julie Grant, Michael Ayala, Ted Rowlands and Ashley Willcott, along with correspondents Julia Jenaé, Chanley Painter and Joy Lim Nakrin.