The #MeToo movement has seen many different evolutions since going viral in 2017 — and Amber Heard is one of its most controversial figures.
The actress’s allegations against her then-husband Johnny Depp in 2016 put her slightly ahead of the curve of Hollywood’s reckoning with abusive men. The ugly legal battle that followed only further separated her from the movement, as tape recordings revealed she had also become physically violent toward Depp and had tried to belittle and intimidate him when he wanted to speak up about it. Not to mention the time she allegedly assaulted her own girlfriend, Tasya van Ree — which was seen by an officer who was accused of distorting the truth because she was likely homophobic only for everyone to later find out the officer was a lesbian activist herself. van Ree maintained support for Heard and defended her ex-girlfriend against the accusation. Meanwhile, Amber’s former assistant accused the actress of stealing her own sexual assault story and having “twisted it into her own.” There were also claims made against Amber that she was “verbally and mentally abusive” toward a former assistant, and “a classic bully.” Her former stylist would also wind up testifying in Johnny’s favor, disputing claims about Amber’s black eyes.
Related: Johnny Got Fired From Fantastic Beasts After Losing Libel Suit!
A UK libel case that ruled in favor of the outlet The Sun (a suit brought because the tabloid referred to Johnny as a “wifebeater”) seemed to validate the Aquaman star’s allegations in the public eye, but neither of their reputations came out unscathed. While a looming US lawsuit promises to unveil yet more insight into the troubled relationship, for now, the Amber/Johnny drama is on hold. Regardless, the 34-year-old has maintained her position as a domestic abuse survivor and a champion for those who have suffered intimate partner violence. So with the recent stories coming out about Marilyn Manson, it’s unsurprising that Amber chose to weigh in. She tweeted a link to a New Yorker piece, “The Marilyn Manson Reckoning,” commenting:
“…… and yet, no one sees the trend here? Everyone wants to tag a Bathroom wall, no one wants to understand the writing. Evan [Rachel Wood] & I aren’t the 1st to raise our hands. Are you done ignoring it?”
https://twitter.com/realamberheard/status/1357221284170461184?s=20
For anyone unsure about the bathroom metaphor, we read it as an allusion to how secrets about abusive men remain in plain sight despite the ones seeing it wanting to talk any further on the subject — how it’s widely known that men are historically the abuser in relationships even though the collective consciousness isn’t willing to dissect it. Anyone who has been in a women’s restroom stall at a bar or restaurant that welcomes graffiti has seen the allegations against the neighborhood wifebeaters. For too long something as seedy as an anonymous bathroom stall has been the only outlet for women to speak out. And it’s definitely spot on — the power dynamics of society are still extremely unequal when it comes to power exertion by men over women. Women can absolutely be abusers themselves, but when a woman is the abuser, rarely does she get as big a defense as a man. No, it’s the writing on the wall about men that so many are quick to excuse.
Amber also responded to the mentions of her own admissions of physical violence, maintaining she did so in self-defense.
Of course, it’s not just the subject of domestic violence that would draw Amber to this particular case. Marilyn Manson happens to be best friends with the Pirates of the Caribbean star. The pair have matching tattoos, and the controversial rocker is Lily-Rose Depp’s godfather. His name even came up in The Sun lawsuit, in text messages from Amber claiming that Johnny was on a “bender” with Manson after dropping Lily-Rose off at school. It also seems important to note here that Manson’s fantasies about violence toward his own girlfriend — including his own admission that he would dream about things like “smashing” ERW’s skull in — also match the style of alleged text messages from Depp where Depp would allegedly write about his own violent fantasies toward Heard — which, even if only “venting” as fans on the defense claim, are still highly disturbing and lend credence to the cases brought against the men.
While the accusations of domestic abuse against both men remain to be allegations at this stage, there is one dark and upsetting passion they seem to both share that’s on the record… Nazi memorabilia. Manson’s ex-fiance Evan, whose mother is Jewish, detailed some of the artist’s antisemitism on her Instagram Story, pointing out multiple Nazi-affiliated tattoos.
![](https://perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/evan-rachel-wood-nazi-tattoos-ig-story.jpg)
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Related: How Evan Is Using IG To Help Her Case Against Marilyn Manson
Yeah, no way to slice it — that’s f**ked up from here to the moon and back.
Manson and Johnny have matching tattoos themselves, including a “giant skeleton thing” that the Beautiful People singer declined to explain in a profile for Rolling Stone magazine. Could it be one of the Nazi-adjacent tattoos that Evan pointed out? Perhaps. Though it’s no secret Manson and Depp are into, well, darker territories. More damningly, in the same Rolling Stone article, Manson claimed that he and the Oscar nominee had tried to buy the gun Hitler killed himself with together.
For anyone still unclear about this, and sadly so many people are in 2021, Nazis are all about violence. So having an obsession with them doesn’t do you any favors.
At the very least, it’s hard to imagine Johnny was unaware of the alleged abuse, which (if the allegations are true) was huge in scale and seems to be well known by everyone in Manson’s inner circle. It certainly reflects very poorly on his character that they’ve been so close for so many years.
Amber’s controversial involvement aside, it should be no surprise that a lot of people are definitely ready to leave these men in the past — they can have each other.
[Image via WENN/Avalon/Instar/Nicky Nelson]