Amber Heard outside a Virginia courthouse

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Publicists say such moves aren’t a good look for stars

October 3, 2022

Amber Heard was recently pictured on vacation in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, despite saying she doesn’t have enough money to pay Johnny Depp the millions she owes him. The publicists who spoke with Newsweek said such high-end trips might not be the best idea for people in Heard’s situation.

Kelly Brady, CEO and founder of Brandsway Creative, said she couldn’t comment directly on Heard, but offered her general thoughts.

“Everything you do that gets covered in the media is like being tried by a global public tribunal,” Brady said. Newsweek. “If you’re in trouble with money in public, and you’re photographed enjoying a luxurious vacation, you’re just opening the floodgates to be ridiculed, questioned, and called a liar, even if you’re not paying for it. travel.”

In June, a jury in the couple’s libel trial that detailed both sides’ abuse allegations ruled that Heard should pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages plus $350,000 in punitive damages. However, Depp was ordered to pay the Aquaman the actress $2 million for her countersuit. The state of Virginia, where the high-profile lawsuit was held, also has a cap on damages, which left Heard on the hook for $5 million.

Here, Amber Heard is seen outside the Fairfax County Circuit Court on April 26, 2022 in Fairfax, Virginia. Heard was recently photographed by paparazzi while vacationing in Spain, which drew criticism from people because she said she couldn’t pay her ex-husband Johnny Depp the millions of dollars he she owed him.
Photo by Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Photos/Getty Images

Heard’s former lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, appeared on the Today show after the verdict. She told presenter Savannah Guthrie that her client would “absolutely not” be able to pay Depp the amount she owed him.

As a result, some people in the media have reported that Heard going on a trip to the Mediterranean coast can send the wrong idea about the state of his finances, even if someone else pays the bill. The actress faced similar criticism from the tabloid press and social media users when she was photographed in the Hamptons and in Israel after the trial.

“Sometimes celebrities are out of touch with the reality the rest of the world is facing,” said Jared Shapiro, founder of PR firm The Tag Experience. Newsweek. “If you actually care about what people think of you – and some celebrities don’t – you’ll be aware of your actions.”

Shapiro, who is also the former editorial director of gossip tabloids Way of life and In weekly contactadded that during Heard’s trial “the general consensus was, from a public relations standpoint, that Johnny Depp was playing better.”

He said that after the trial, publications write about “Amber Heard traveling the world and she can’t pay her bills. And Johnny Depp has found love with his lawyer. Even now, after the trial, at least PR point of view – he plays better.”

“PR is always an uphill battle when you have something to try and convince people,” Shapiro said. “It takes effort and a team. It’s also very easy, if you want to get there, to hide.”

That’s also what Brady would advise his clients in a similar scenario.

“As publicists, it’s our job to help shape public opinion. So yes, I would advise clients who are having money issues to keep a low profile and not do anything flashy, whatever shopping or taking a luxury vacation,” Brady said.

She continued, “What you do in the public eye should support the narrative you’re trying to sell, not the narrative the ‘haters’ are trying to create.”

Newsweek contacted Heard for comment.