Johnny Depp won his defamation lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard early this week. A claim has since surfaced on social media that despite winning the lawsuit Depp is still furious at Heard and is now planning a nationwide "defamation tour" with Kyle Rittenhouse to spread awareness on the dangers of defamation.
However, the claim is completely false as Depp hasn't planned anything and is instead focusing on his acting and music career. The claim is nothing but fake news created by using a false CNN headline by a mischievous social media user trying to spread misinformation.
Fake Post
A day after the verdict in the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard case was read out, with the judgment going in favor of Depp, a news headline appeared on social media making a strange claim. The claim showed a news headline by CNN that read: "Johnny Depp rumored to be organizing national tour with Kyle Rittenhouse to spread awareness on the dangers of defamation."
The claim appeared to imply that Depp would go on a musical tour with Rittenhouse in tow and make people aware of how disinformation can spoil one's personal life.
Most of those who came across the claim started believing in it. It was because the claim appeared to be endorsed by a noted media organization like CNN. Moreover, Depp recently performed at a gig in the UK, which further made people to believe that the claim to be true.
Also, Rittenhouse's name added more credibility to the claim given that his trial too was a hyped affair. After shooting and murdering two people and wounded a third during civil disturbances in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020, Rittenhouse was cleared of homicide and other related crimes. Rittenhouse argued that he was acting in self-defense.
Completely Baseless
Depp and Rittenhouse together on a national defamation tour thus was a credible thing for many and they fell into the trap and started believing in the claim. The Rittenhouse trial, like the Depp case, was a hyped affair.
Many saw Depp's case, its societal impact, and its resolution as a retaliation against the #MeToo movement. During a summer of Black Lives Matter events, the Rittenhouse incident occurred amid protests and riots after the police killing and wounding of Jacob Blake, a Black Kenosha citizen.
Thus, the person who made the claim was successful in his mission. However, there is no truth in the claim as CNN never ran any story with such a heading. The entire claim including the headline was created by some mischievous social media user to disseminate misinformation among people.
Also, no other news outlet published such a story. People fell into the trap mainly after seeing the fake CNN logo. The fake headline was most likely created with a satirical aim in mind. However, Rittenhouse did claim after Depp's victory that Depp's legal victory motivated him to sue people who labeled him a murderer.
However, to put it in simple words, the entire claim is false and baseless as no such tour is being planned.
