Johnny Depp’s Ex-Bandmate and Friend of 40 Years Testifies He Saw Bruises on Amber Heard’s Arm

On Thursday, May 19, Johnny Depp's former long-term friend and bandmate Bruce Witkin was the first on the witness list to testify in the former's defamation trial against Amber Heard. Witkin spoke about the actor's drug abuse and his reported treatment by Dr. David Kipper and his nurses.

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Witkin — who was previously in a band with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star — also weighed in on his former friend’s alleged substance abuse problems, saying he witnessed Depp snort cocaine for the first time in 2014, which surprised him because he said the actor hated the drug as a teen.

He also testified that his former best friend Johnny Depp has a “jealous streak” — and was at one time envious of Nicolas Cage.

“He can definitely have a jealous streak in him,” Witkin said of Depp in the Feb. 17, 2022, deposition, which was played for the jury in Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia.

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Bruce Witkin said that their decades-long friendship and professional relationship soured after he delivered testimony that Depp perceived as being “stabbed in the back.”

“I started to feel a distance and 2017. We had a gig, and I saw him. But he was really kind of distant and kind of fucked up,” Witkin said. “And like, he wrote me this weird text saying I stabbed him in the back and badmouth him, and I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ He wouldn’t explain it. And pretty much I haven’t seen him since 2018.”

Witkin, owner of the label Unison Music, said in a recorded deposition that he considered Depp — whom he’s known for more than 40 years — his best friend and “brother” until the two had a falling out four years ago. He said their communications ended after that.

“I just can’t get through to him,” Witkin said. “No returned texts. No nothing. No emails. My daughter even got married, and he ignored it.”

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Heard accused Depp of surrounding himself with yes-men more concerned about keeping themselves in his good graces and on his payroll than acting in his best interest. Witkin hinted at that dynamic, too.

“I think there’s some people behind the scenes talking shit about me because everybody always tried to position themselves, ‘Oh, who’s the best friend and who’s this, that,’ when I was just there to be his friend,” Witkin testified. “And I think there were some lies and all this bullshit about me that he actually believed, which is surprising.”

In his younger days, Depp was jealous of fellow actor Cage, Witkin claimed. Depp, 58, also allegedly exhibited jealous behavior during his relationship with Vanessa Paradis — the mother of his two children, Lily-Rose and Jack — but Witkin said “a lot of it was in his head and not in reality.”

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Depp was previously married to Witkin’s sister-in-law, Lori Ann Allison. That marriage — the actor’s first — lasted two years and ended in a divorce in 1985. After Depp married Amber Heard in February 2015, he would “work himself up” if she was filming a movie “with some guy,” or if she was doing something where he could not be around to keep an eye on her, Witkin said.

He also recounted seeing Depp do cocaine with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. According to the musician, Depp had tried to kick his drug habit a couple of times, but it didn’t stick. Witkin said he recommended that Depp try therapy.

“He did it a little bit, but then he stopped because, in my experience, it’s deep-rooted issues that he’s dealt with that has nothing to do with Amber,” Witkin said. “That’s my opinion.”

 He said that the 58-year-old star had attempted to become sober multiple times but "didn't believe in a higher power." Later, Witkin also labeled Dr. David Kipper's treatment as a 'scam.'

In his testimony from February, Witkin recalled an incident where he was called to Depp's residence by the actor's friend and collaborator, Stephen Deuters. As he recollected the event, Witkin said:

"There was just crazy arguing and stuff going on there. And for some reason he thought I could help ... What's crazy to me is that's the first time that's ever happened ... For some reason he wanted me to come."

Witkin acknowledged that he never personally witnessed Depp hitting Heard, but he did identify what he described a finger-shaped bruises on her arm. “I mean, it looks similar to that, but it didn’t look like a— It looked like a grab, not a punch, like just someone grabbed her arm,” Witkin said. The ex-bandmate emphasized that he only noticed such a bruise “one time.” Though Witkin could not recall a time frame of the observation, he said it coincided with their involvement in a documentary about Rolling Stones musician Keith Richards. 

“Like I said, it just looked like she was grabbed,” Witkin said. “That’s what it seems to be finger marks.” Asked whether he ever spoke to Heard about the marks, Witkin said: “No.” Witkin also said that he saw Depp with a fat lip during a rehearsal sometime around 2015 or 2016.

Witkin noted that Heard had always been nice to Witkin. The former bandmate recalled an incident where he had witnessed the ex-couple in a heated argument. However, like Depp's former neighbour Joshua Drew, Witkin also admitted that he had never witnessed the actor being physically abusive towards Heard.

Bruce Witkin is a well-established record producer and musician who has worked with multiple renowned artists like Paul McCartney, Marilyn Manson, Cher, Whitney Houston, and many more. As a musician, Witkin's journey started in the 1970s when he formed a band with Depp called The Kids. They reportedly started the musical group in Florida in 1978 before moving to Los Angeles. Later, Witkin and Depp were also in a new rock group titled Hollywood Vampires, which was formed by Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry in 2012.

Currently, Bruce Witkin is associated with his own record label Unison Music, which he founded in 2007. The musician has also been credited with contributing to the music of many Johnny Depp's films including Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), The Rum Diary (2011), Into the Woods (2014) and Mortdecai (2015). Throughout these projects, Witkin has served in various roles ranging from being the vocal coach of Depp to the composer.

In 2007, Bruce Joseph Witkins won the IFS Award for his contribution to the Jimmy the Saint independent film. According to his profile in Unison music, Bruce also "served as Johnny Depp's Vocal Producer in Tim Burton's 'Sweeney Todd,' for which he received a Grammy nomination in 2008."

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Outside the palace intrigue of Depp’s inner circle, Watkins said, one of the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s grievances was clear.

“I know that he wasn’t happy about my testimony, but I wasn’t going to lie,” he said.

After Witkin’s testimony, Depp’s former talent agent Tracey Jacobs said in her video deposition that the actor never has been accused of physically abusing a woman other than Heard.