While the world fixated on Amber Heard’s allegations during their explosive defamation trials, Johnny Depp’s own troubled past often slipped under the radar. Long before their 2015 marriage and bitter 2016 divorce, Depp had a reputation for volatile behavior, fueled by substance abuse and explosive outbursts. Arrest records and ex-partners’ accounts paint a picture of a Hollywood icon whose “bad boy” image masked deeper issues of rage and destruction.
Depp’s run-ins with the law date back decades. In 1989, at age 26, he was arrested in Vancouver for assaulting a hotel security guard after a noisy party. Charges were dropped, but it set a pattern. By 1994, during his romance with supermodel Kate Moss, Depp trashed a New York hotel room at the Mark Hotel, causing nearly $10,000 in damage. Police suspected a drunken fight with Moss, then 20. He paid restitution, avoiding jail. That same year, another arrest followed for criminal mischief. In 1999, while with Vanessa Paradis—who was pregnant—he threatened paparazzi with a wooden plank in London, leading to another caution.
Ex-girlfriends offered glimpses into Depp’s jealousy and control. Ellen Barkin, who dated him briefly in the ’90s, described him as “jealous and controlling” in court depositions. She recalled him throwing a wine bottle across a room during filming, though it hit no one. Barkin said Depp accused her of infidelity over a scratch on her back. Winona Ryder, engaged to Depp as a teenager (he was 26, she 17), later hinted at his destructive side, calling her “first boyfriend” someone who “smashed everything.” Jennifer Grey labeled him “crazy jealous and paranoid.”
Even long-term partner Vanessa Paradis, mother of his two children, reportedly calmed his “ill temper” and outbursts. Depp himself admitted in texts and interviews to “hillbilly rage” and heavy drinking, once joking about violent fantasies. Friends like Marilyn Manson and Roman Polanski—both controversial figures—highlighted his circle of enablers.
In the U.K. libel case against The Sun (which called him a “wife-beater”), a judge ruled 12 of 14 abuse incidents against Heard “substantially true,” citing Depp’s drug-fueled violence. The 2022 U.S. trial favored Depp, awarding him $10 million, but experts noted “mutual abuse” dynamics, with both sides volatile. Yet Depp’s pre-Heard history—arrests, property destruction, and controlling tendencies—suggests patterns predating their relationship.
Substance abuse amplified everything. Depp openly discussed cocaine, alcohol, and opioids, claiming they triggered blackouts. On-set unprofessionalism, like lateness and verbal abuse, plagued films. The 2015 dog-smuggling scandal in Australia with Heard added absurdity, but earlier incidents showed recklessness.
Today, Depp rebounds with roles and fragrance deals, while Heard faces backlash. But ignoring his past arrests (at least four violent ones) and exes’ warnings risks oversimplifying a complex story. Domestic violence experts stress no one is a “perfect victim,” and patterns matter. Depp’s scandals weren’t invented by Heard—they were buried by fame. As one therapist noted in trials, his rage wasn’t new; it was triggered repeatedly. The real question: Why did it take Amber Heard for the world to notice?
