John Christopher Depp iii

The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star opened up about his relationship with his parents during his defamation trial against Amber Heard. Find out more about ...

“At the same time my father was to some degree at the mercy of Betty Sue.” During the trial, Johnny’s relationship with his mom was brought back to the forefront once again. He revealed that he walked in on his mother overdosing on pills shortly after the split in his testimony during the defamation trial with Amber Heard. He also revealed that he began using drugs as a result of the “trauma” his childhood brought on. “It’s been for trying to numb the things inside that can plague someone who has experienced trauma,” he said, per The New York Post. Betty and her then-husband John were living in Owensboro, Kentucky when Johnny was born, but the family moved around a lot during Johnny’s childhood, as he revealed in a 2002 interview on Inside the Actor’s Studio. His parents split up when he was 15 in 1978. Johnny Depp is well-known for his acting roles, from 21 Jump Street to Pirates of the Caribbean. While Johnny is an established actor, he hasn’t spoken very often about his parents, Betty Sue Palmer and John Christopher Depp. The actor is the youngest of four kids that the divorced couple had during their relationship.

Johnny Depp's prior testimony from day one, which at many points felt Proustian, described an abusive childhood and drug use, starting at age 11, ...

“I’ve never struck a woman in my life and certainly not going to strike a woman if she decides to make fun of a tattoo that I have on my body.” “I’ve never used the word ‘party’ in my life.” Before delving into his relationship with Heard, Depp described his addiction to the opioid Roxicodone after getting hurt on set while filming the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean. He eventually went through withdrawal during his relationship with Heard, Depp said in his first day of testimony. “The way this is heading, I could see the jurors just being like, ‘Look she was a victim of domestic violence. “I was sort of not allowed to be right, not allowed to have a voice,” Depp said of his arguments with Heard. “So at a certain point, what enters your mind is, you start to slowly realize that you are in a relationship with your mother, and I know that that sounds perverse, obtuse, but the fact is some people [search] for weaknesses in people …” The fights and arguments escalated to become violent, he said. Depp continued to explain his relationship with substances on day two of testimony. “I am obsessed with the truth.” On day two, he appeared in court in a three-piece gray suit and immediately dove into his relationship with Heard. He described their “heightened” arguments as “circular” with no way in or out.

Johnny Depp's net worth in 2022 reveals his divorce settlement and prenup with Amber Heard and how much he made from "Pirates of the Caribbean."

In a statement to E! News, a representative for Heard commended Depp for his donation to the ACLU and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles but said that her ex-husband should “honor the full amount by donating $14 million to charity, which, after accounting for his tax deduction, is equal to his $7 million payment obligation to Amber.” Depp also made a total $55 million for his role as Tarrant Hightopp, the Mad Hatter, in 2010’s Alice in Wonderland. His pay was a combination of a low base salary and high backend points that paid him eight figures after Alice in Wonderland earned more than $1 billion worldwide. “I don’t know what happened [in his private life], and I don’t know if it was fair, him losing the job, but I just knew that the show was going on, and I would’ve loved to have talked to him about it if I had the chance, but I just don’t know him in that sense,” he said. The site also reported that he earned $5 million for 1995’s Nick of Time and another $5 million for 1997’s Donnie Brasco. Depp paid some of that amount to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles in Heard’s name. No. No. It’s for the kids.” He also told the magazine that there was “a part of me that needs to have this kind of stimulation to the brain” when it came to his finances. According to Forbes, Depp made $55 million as his base salary for the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides, in 2011. The magazine explained that Depp had a “pay-or-play contract,” which requires that he be fully compensated whether or not the film is made or if he’s recast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney Pictures, the production company behind the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, cut ties with Depp after his ex-wife, Amber Heard, accused him of assault in 2016. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Depp made $10 million for the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, in 2003. Depp made around the same for the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, At World’ End, which made him $55 million in total between his base salary and his backend points. In 2019, Depp sued Heard for a 2018 op-ed she wrote about her experience as a victim of domestic violence in The Washington Post, alleging that she was the abuser in their relationship.