Heard pays Depp debt, money to go to charity: who is he donating to?

On 1 June 2022, a jury in Fairfax, Virginia, found that Amber Heard had defamed her ex-husband Johnny Depp in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, an article in which the Aquaman star described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse”.

Although Heard did not name Depp in the Post piece, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor argued that his reputation had been tarnished by his former wife’s words.

Heard and Depp finally reach $1m settlement

Having been deemed to have defamed Depp, Heard was ordered to pay him a total of $15m in damages. Months after the verdict, however, the former couple reached an out-of-court settlement whereby Depp agreed to accept the smaller sum of $1m.

Now, TMZ reports, Heard has paid up. According to the media outlet, Depp will donate the money to five charities, with each receiving $200,000. The 60-year-old has maintained that he took Heard to court not for financial gain, but to clear his name.

What charities has Depp donated the $1m to?

The organisations Depp has chosen, TMZ says, are Make A Film Foundation, the Painted Turtle, Red Feather, Tetiaroa Society and the Amazonia Alliance.

According to its website, the Make A Film Foundation “provides an opportunity for young people diagnosed with critical or terminal illness to use the media as a powerful tool for self-expression and communication by creating five-minute film legacies”. The Painted Turtle also works with children, organizing activity camps for youngsters with serious medical conditions.

Red Feather is a non-profit that supports Native American communities, while the Amazonia Alliance seeks to preserve indigenous populations throughout the Amazon. Tetiaroa Society, meanwhile, works to protect island and coastal communities by “strengthening their resilience to global change, by restoring their ecosystems, and preserving their cultures”, per its website.