Amber Heard calls out media for ‘ignoring’ Marilyn Manson abuse allegations

‘Evan Rachel Wood and I aren’t the first to raise our hands,’ actor tweeted

Amber Heard has condemned the media for “ignoring” allegations against the rock star Marilyn Manson, who has been accused by a number of women of abuse.

On Monday (1 February), actor Evan Rachel Wood accused Manson of grooming and abusing her “for years” while they were in a relationship. Several other women also came forward with allegations against Manson.

Manson subsequently denied the claims, calling them “horrible distortions of reality”.

On Thursday (4 February), Heard, who has been embroiled in a high-profile divorce battle with Johnny Depp, tweeted her support of Wood, while suggesting that the media had long turned a blind eye to Manson’s behaviour.

Sharing an article from The New Yorker suggesting there is a “blind spot” when it comes to allegations made against public figures, Heard wrote: “...and yet, no one sees the trend here? Everyone wants to tag a bathroom wall, no one wants to understand the writing. Evan & I aren’t the 1st to raise our hands. Are you done ignoring it?”

Read more: A timeline of Evan Rachel Wood's comments on abuse and assault after her Marilyn Manson allegations

After a Twitter user replied to Heard’s message with the single word “fraud”, Heard responded: “Well I know a couple of over-indulged white male celebrities (who happen to be world famous) AND single, who are def in the market for some low rate ass-missing [sic], shall I intro you??”

Earlier this week (2 February), Heard’s ex-husband Depp was permitted an oral hearing in his attempts to appeal a ruling by the British High Court over a newspaper column that described him as a “wife beater”. The hearing will be held in March.

Heard has long accused the Pirates of the Caribbean star of domestic violence, something he has denied. After suing The Sun publisher News Group Newspapers and its executive editor Dan Wootton for referring to him as a “wife beater” in a column, Depp lost the case in December. A British judge declared that the claim was “substantially true”.

A petition to remove Heard from the Aquaman franchise, spearheaded by Depp’s fans, has so far received millions of signatures.

Amber Heard and Marilyn Manson (Stuart C Wilson/Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Heard condemned the campaign, while arguing that it will have no effect on her status within the superhero franchise. “Paid rumours and paid campaigns on social media don’t dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality,” Heard said in November.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247, or visit their website here.