NFT Creators Cash in on Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard Trial

Crafty non-fungible token (NFT) creators are monetizing the victory of Johnny Depp in his defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.

Depp emerged the winner after millions watched six weeks of bruising courtroom drama that was broadcast live around the world. Widespread media coverage, as well as the memeification of the trial on social media platforms such as TikTok, made it next to impossible to avoid. 

With the subject firmly cemented in the public consciousness, and having captured the cultural zeitgeist, it was inevitable that the cryptosphere would seek to ape in and milk the opportunity for profit. 

Never fear truth

A number of NFT creators have sought to hitch their wagon to Depp’s rising star, but there is also an NFT project backed by Depp himself. Never Fear Truth is the actor’s first major foray into both the art and NFT worlds.

The portraits created by Depp feature friends and heroes of the actor including Hunter S. Thompson and Heath Ledger, and while the collection was minted in Jan, the NFTs enjoyed increased interest over the course of the trial. OpenSea metrics show a noticeable spike in activity the day after verdict day in particular.

In a wholesome charitable gesture 25% of the proceeds from NFT sales will be donated (not pledged) to The Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and, in honor of Heath Ledger, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Those projects not directly tied to Depp have much less charitable instincts.

Amber Turds

The scatalogical NFT project Johnny Depp’s Amber Turds exemplifies the way in which the Depp vs. Heard trial has been transformed into meme-fodder for the internet’s most outrageous corners.

The NFT collection makes reference to the now-infamous incident in which Heard allegedly garnished the marital bed as a sort of farewell present for her husband. 

In the projects’ own words Johnny Depp’s Amber Turds is “5,000 lying, gold digging, drug abusing, fake crying, stinky, crusty, dusty Amber Turds smelling up the Ethereum Blockchain.”

The collection features quotes from the trial as well as key objects including a mega pint of wine, and a makeup compact. 

Amber Turds have so far done only modest trading, with total volume from the free-to-mint collection at just over 55 ETH on OpenSea. That has not stopped one ambitious hodler from slapping a 420 ETH price tag on their Amber Turd.

There’s crypto, too

Finally, Johnny Depp Inu proves that anything the NFT sector can latch on to, good old fashioned memecoin creators can also latch on to. Johnny Depp Inu won mainstream press coverage in the U.K.’s Daily Express, but for now, the cryptocurrency remains a nanocap memecoin.