Johnny Depp: His former agent confirms that Disney removed him from “Pirates of the Caribbean” due to abuse allegations

Johnny Depp was removed from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise over allegations of domestic abuse made by Amber Heard, his former Hollywood agent has said, backing the actor’s lawsuit against his ex-wife.

“My opinion is that it was related to the accusations that Amber has made”Christian Carino, who works for the Creative Arts Agency, said in a videotaped statement in Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Heard.

Depp filed a defamation case against Heard for a column he wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which he described himself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”

Heard, 36, never named Depp, 58, but the actor is suing her for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages.

The Texas-born Heard countersued for $100 million, claiming she suffered “rampant physical violence and abuse” at his hands.

Depp filed the libel suit in the US after losing a separate libel case in London in November 2020, which he brought against The Sun for calling him a “wife beater”.

Carino, Depp and Heard’s former agent, said Disney never explicitly stated that Depp would be removed from the “Pirates” franchise due to allegations of domestic abuse, but that he was “understood.”

Depp, who testified earlier on his own, blamed Heard’s accusations for the loss of his lucrative role in “Pirates” as Captain Jack Sparrow.

“You were just filling space”

Carino, Lady Gaga’s ex-fiancé, was also questioned about Heard’s relationship with billionaire Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, which followed her divorce from Depp in 2017.

Depp’s lawyers read aloud August 2017 text messages between Carino and Heard, who starred in the movie “Aquaman.”

“Dealing with the breakup. I hate when things go public. Look, I am very sad,” Heard said in a message about the end of her relationship with Musk.

“You were not in love with him and you told me a thousand times that you were just filling space,” Carino replied. “Why would you be sad if you weren’t in love with him to begin with?”

Heard responded, “I know, but I wanted time to grieve and recover on my own time.”

Asked by a Depp attorney if Heard was referring to Musk or Depp, Carino said, “I don’t know.”

He also gave her some advice. “You could avoid all of this if you stopped dating super famous people,” she said. “You can be with a great man who is not famous.”

Testifying last week, Depp said accusations that he was a “menace, drunk and full of cocaine who hits women” had cost him “everything”.

Depp denied physically abusing Heard and claimed that she was the one who was frequently violent.

Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, and Heard met in 2009 on the set of the movie “The Rum Diary” and married in February 2015. Their divorce was finalized two years later.