'Stop playing the victim': Piers Morgan slams Amber Heard's 'unfair' social media representation comment

Piers Morgan has told Amber Heard to "stop playing the victim" after she gave her first sit-down interview since losing a high-profile defamation case brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp.

In the exclusive conversation with Savannah Guthrie from NBC News, the 36-year-old shared her thoughts about the six-week trial that took place from April 11th to June 1st in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Seven jurors unanimously found that Heard had defamed Depp in a 2018 Washington Post she wrote titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

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Although Depp is not mentioned by name, Depp sued Heard for $50m as his lawyers argued it falsely inferred he was physically and sexually abusive during his marriage to Heard.

While the Heard countersued her ex-husband for $100m where she alleged Depp created a "smear campaign" against her.

As a result of the verdict, the jurors awarded Depp $10m in compensatory damages and five million in punitive damages (but the punitive damages are capped to $350,000 in the state of Virginia).

Meanwhile, Heard was also awarded $2m in compensatory damages in relation to comments from Depp's lawyer Adam Waldman where he called Heard's abuse allegations a "hoax."

The Aquaman star has since criticised how social media represented the trial in a preview clip of the interview, as the televised defamation trial captured the attention of the internet.

"Even somebody who is sure I’m deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying, you still couldn’t tell me — look me in the eye and tell me — that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation," Heard said.

"You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair."

The trial became a popular topic on TikTok where people posted edits of the court proceedings and the platform overwhelmingly sided with Depp as the "#JusticeforJohnnyDepp" received 20bn views, while "#JusticeforAmberHeard" received much less with 94m views (as of June 13).

Despite seeing herself negatively represented on social media, Heard says she doesn't take it personally.

“I don’t care what one thinks about me or what judgements you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors,” she said.

“I don’t presume the average person should know these things. And so I don’t take it personally.”

Broadcaster Piers Morgan, known for giving his outspoken opinion on numerous subjects, has since slammed Heard's comments about social media during the trial and tweeted: "The jurors didn't read any of the social media stuff, they listened to the evidence & concluded she was lying.

"I suggest it's time for Ms Heard to stop playing the victim," he added.

It's not the first time Morgan has commented on the trial, as reacted to Depp's win live as the verdict came in on his new TalkTV show, Piers Morgan Uncensored.

He described how Depp has been "vindicated" with a "complete slam dunk victory for Johnny Depp” and added it was a “wipeout for Amber Heard”.

“It’s hard to imagine a bigger humiliation for Amber Heard. It’s a complete disaster and failure," Morgan said.

Heard's interview will air on Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15 on NBC's TODAY and Friday, June 17 on Dateline NBC 8 p.m. / 7 p.m. CT.

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