Another shirt Nelson sells features an amalgam of memes that have emerged from the trial: “That’s Hearsay Brewing Co.: Home of the Mega Pint,” the message emblazoned on the front reads, referencing a moment during the trial in which Heard’s attorney cross-examined him by asking if he poured himself a “mega-pint of red wine” after an argument.
So I drew the design myself and went with it.” She posted the shirt on Wednesday night, less than a day before we talked on the phone.
Nelson is just one of the fan merch purveyors capitalizing off the intense media interest in Depp’s defamation trial, which is currently unfolding in Fairfax County, Virginia.
judge ruled against Depp, finding that 12 of 14 allegations of physical violence made by Heard were “proved to the civil standard”; that same year, recordings surfaced of conversations between Heard and Depp, in which Heard admitted to committing physical violence against Depp.
Perhaps the most quantifiable method of gauging public opinion was captured in a viral TikTok taken at a Starbucks drive-through, which showed two tip jars labeled “Johnny Depp” and “Amber Heard.” The Depp tip jar was full by the end of the video, while the Heard tip jar was empty.
Yet the apex of the phenomenon of profiting off the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard case — and the groundswell of support for Depp himself — is vendors on Etsy making T-shirts, stickers, mugs, keychains, and pins expressing support for the actor.
One vendor who has also pivoted to selling pro-Johnny Depp merch is Bianca Padilla, 26, an art teacher in New Jersey who, like Nelson, started her own Etsy store selling hand-painted shoes during the pandemic.
Most of the feedback she’s gotten has been positive, aside from one Instagram comment questioning why she would attempt to profit off of a trial involving such dark allegations as sexual and physical abuse.
It’s funny.’ As a business owner, you go with the trends, and that’s what is trending right now.
Nelson, the Etsy boutique owner making pro-Depp merch , does not harbor such concerns about what impact the trial may have on domestic violence survivors.
But at the end of the day, we have fought so hard for ‘Let’s believe the victim,’ but we also have to recognize victims are not always female.
But with “Fuck Amber Heard” T-shirts and “Everyone Is Welcome Except Amber Heard” placemats saturating the market on Etsy, it’s unclear whether the stage is being set for that moment of allyship to take place, though there are plenty of opportunities for business owners and content creators to capitalize on the discourse.