A TikToker claiming to be a juror from the Johnny Depp trial called Amber Heard ‘crazy,’ sparking conflicting theories about the anonymous account

• An anonymous TikToker drew attention by claiming to be a juror in the Depp v. Heard trial.

• Sleuths quickly began analyzing the user’s posts, with many saying they thought the story was fake.

• Speculation about the purported juror continues despite the account disappearing from TikTok.

A number of videos from a user claiming to be a juror from the Depp v. Heard trial have been circulating on TikTok.

Over the past week, internet sleuths have been trying to figure out whether the anonymous TikTok user — whose handle was @seekinginfinite before it was deleted — was genuinely a juror at the trial. Many have said the claims in the videos, which are no longer available to view, are suspicious and unlikely to be true.

Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard captivated social media users. TikTok and Twitter were overrun by Depp fans who posted memes, fancams, and supportive messages saying they thought the actor should win. Some also spread misinformation and baseless rumors about Heard and her legal team.

Debate over the now-deleted TikTok account has become the latest source of social media theorizing around the trial, with the hashtag #SeekingInfinite amassing more than 110,000 TikTok views.

Here’s how speculation and theories about the account unfolded.

After the trial ended, an anonymous TikTok user claimed to be a juror who wanted to share his thoughts on the trial 

In March 2019, Depp sued Heard for defamation following a 2018 op-ed she wrote saying she had been abused, which did not mention Depp by name. Heard filed a $100 million counterclaim. On June 1, 2022, a jury found both parties liable for defamation, awarding Depp $15 million in damages and Heard $2 million.

Soon after the trial ended on June 1, several TikTokers uploaded audio and video clips that appear to have been originally posted by the account @seekinginfinite, who claimed to be one of the seven jurors in the trial.

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In one of the reuploaded clips, the user can be heard identifying themself as a juror and saying, “I wish to remain anonymous, but I thought I’d give some insight on my thoughts about the trial.” The user went on to say they thought Heard was a “crazy woman,” adding, “everything she was saying came off like bullshit.”

On social media, Depp supporters have continually accused Heard of lying, saying they did not believe her accusations of abuse against Depp. Heard has denied lying on the stand during the trial. Representatives for Heard declined to comment for this article.

The clip quickly circulated on TikTok, with many people appearing to believe the user was in fact a juror. However, other users said they were skeptical about whether the story was legitimate, asking the user to provide evidence. In response, a video belonging to the same account showed a document they said was a jury summons.

On June 5, various TikTok creators noticed the account and its videos had disappeared from the app. Insider was not able to identify the user in order to contact them for comment.

 

TikTok creators have become obsessed with analyzing the user’s footage to assess whether their claims are true 

Internet sleuths are largely trying to debunk @seekinginfinite’s story, using clues from reuploaded clips purportedly posted by the user.

One TikToker inspected the purported jury summons, saying the document looked more similar to a California summons than a Virginia one, which they thought was suspect as the trial was held in Virginia.

The TikToker did not show what a juror summons in the state of Virginia looks like, and digital copies of Virginia jury summons are not available to view on local government websites.

Another user who goes by @rileylively said she had contacts who were present at the trial and told her the TikTok user could not possibly be a juror. Lively did not share the identity of her purported contacts, nor did she say why they thought the user was lying. Lively did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Adele Louise Brockmeyer is an attorney who reshared audio clips purportedly belonging to @seekinginfinite on her law firm’s TikTok account. She has not publicly stated whether she believes the user’s story to be legitimate, but she is one of several creators who have said they were present at the trial.

On TikTok, Brockmeyer said the user could potentially be a juror she saw who “did not make eye contact” with Heard, as in one of the clips, the user can be heard saying they avoided looking in Heard’s direction during the trial.

Overall though, Brockmeyer noted the user “did not present anything that was not already in the news or known from being a casual court observer.”

Social media appears to have reached a consensus that the user is not a real juror 

Some viewers maintain they believe the user’s story. One TikToker theorized that the user may have been pressured into deleting the account and said they had told viewers they would be back to tell their story in 30 days. Insider was unable to find footage of the user saying this.

The majority of TikTokers who posted about the user said they thought the disappearance of the account was suspicious, and accused the user of fabricating their story for attention.

Brockmeyer told Insider she thinks interest in sleuthing around the legitimacy of the account is linked to broader online obsessions with the trial instigated by Depp supporters.

“Depp has some of the most loyal fans I have ever seen. They are extremely protective of him and do not want people to use him in order to get their 15 minutes of fame,” she said.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider’s Digital Culture team here.

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