“Money played no role for me and never has, except to the extent that I could donate it to charity and, in doing so, hopefully help those less able to defend themselves,” Amber Heard said in a statement Thursday announcing that she would be donating the entirety of her divorce settlement from walking Van Dyke mustache Johnny Depp to charity.
The couple settled out of court Tuesday after a very short marriage and a pretty ugly and bizarre legal battle. While lawyers involved in the case acknowledged earlier this week that Heard would be donating money to charity, her statement doubles down on the fact that none of this has ever been about the money at all.
TMZ points out that because Heard gave up her right to all the residuals earned from any movie Depp filmed during their 15-month marriage. Because the couple didn’t have a prenup, that money was technically hers. Heard has chosen to donate the money to charities that focus on children and preventing violence against women.
As described in the restraining order and divorce settlement, money played no role for me personally and never has, except to the extent that I could donate it to charity and, in doing so, hopefully help those less able to defend themselves. As reported in the media, the amount received in the divorce was $7 million and $7 million is being donated. This is over and above any funds that I have given away in the past and will continue to give away in the future. The donation will be divided equally between the ACLU, with a particular focus to stop violence against women, and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, where I have worked as a volunteer for the past 10 years alongside organizations like the Art of Elysium. Over the years, I have seen firsthand how more funding for staffing, better equipment and better medication can make the difference between life or death for a child. I know these organizations will put the funds to good use and look forward to continuing to support them in the future. Hopefully, this experience results in a positive change in the lives of people who need it the most.
This entire thing has been a mess and for Heard’s sake, I’m very glad that it’s over.
Apparently Dancing With The Stars has trained its tractor beam on super-awesome and very talented four-gold-medals-and-a-goddamn-bronze-medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles as a contestant on its upcoming 23rd season. If she accepts this rose(did I get that right?), she would join the ranks of Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson and teammate Aly Raisman, who have all competed on the show and done pretty okay.
Biles is still committed to appear in the Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics which sounds like the So You Think You Can Dance tour but much more impressive, so she’s not quite sure if she’ll be able to feign a fox trot with Derek Hough, or whatever.
“I would,” she told Yahoo! of the generous offer, “but I can’t dance.”
