Doug Stanhope
Comedian Doug Stanhope, photographed during Comedy Central’s 2003 Commie Awards in Los Angeles, opened up about the essay he wrote defending Johnny Depp against abuse allegations from Amber Heard. Getty Images

Doug Stanhope is speaking out about an essay he wrote alleging that Amber Heard was blackmailing Johnny Depp. The comedian addressed the issue during a recent interview, claiming his words were twisted in the media.

Stanhope appeared on “The Howard Stern Show,” where he was asked about the situation. Because he is being sued by Heard, 30, for defamation, there were only few aspects of the case Stanhope was able to discuss. He did, however, clarify that he did not intend to insinuate that she was blackmailing Depp. Stanhope said that the essay initially appeared on his own website. The Wrap, which later published the essay as an exclusive, changed the title to include the word “Blackmailing,” he said. Stanhope insisted that he “didn’t write that f---ing title.” He stood by the claims in the essay, adding that Depp, 53, later reached out to him to thank him “for being honest.”

“I put it on my website, the title was : ‘At a Loss for Words…’ whatever it was,” he explained. “The Wrap got it as an exclusive, or however that worked, and said ‘Amber Heard is Blackmailing Johnny Depp This is How I Know.’ I didn’t write that f---ing title.”

While Stanhope, 49, was among the first people to speak out against Heard, he is not the only one. Since going public with claims that she suffered physical abuse at the hands of her now estranged husband, the “Magic Mike XXL” actress has had to fend off questions about her motives on several occasions.

On June 14, she withdrew her request for spousal support in the hopes that it would prove that her accusations about Depp had nothing to do with money. According to TMZ, Heard claimed she only requested the $50,000 payment because she believed it was standard practice in divorce proceedings. The court documents filed to retract her request suggested that Depp earned $30 million in 2015. As such, Heard believed the court would have paid her $1 million per month in temporary spousal support, which led her to believe the amount she was seeking was reasonable. Heard has not completely taken spousal support of the table, but will not request it until after her their restraining order case is settled.

In addition to accusing her of going after Depp’s money, people close to both Heard and the Golden Globe Award-winning actor say it was her, not him, who had a tendency to be violent. On May 31, TMZ reported that Jerry Judge and Sean Bett — bodyguards who worked for the couple during their relationship — had been asked to testify. They were believed to have agreed. According to the publication, Judge and Bett were present during a fight between Depp and Heard that may have gotten physical. The two men were standing outside of the couple’s apartment while they argued. During the fight, Heard is said to have yelled that she was hit, causing Judge and Bett to rush in. Upon entering the apartment, they found Heard sitting in a living space and Depp in the kitchen. The guards will reportedly testify that the Texas native was attempting to make the situation appear as though her husband had assaulted her, which backfired.

The publication added that both bodyguards plan to tell the judge that Heard had a history of violent behavior, and they had to physically pull her off of Depp on more than one occasion. She is also accused of having thrown bottles and charging at him. Those reports remain unconfirmed.

Depp and Heard are believed to be settling their restraining order case outside of court. They were slated to appear before a judge on Friday, but postponed the hearing.

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