The comedian who accused Amber Heard of blackmailing Johnny Depp with domestic violence allegations in a blistering column in The Wrap had “nothing to gain” by coming out in support of the actor, sources say.
“Doug Stanhope is the most brutally honest comic in the world. He has nothing to gain by saying this except to help his friend clear his name. He lives in Arizona away from Hollywood; he could care less about all that fame and attention,” comedian Dustin Chafin, who has performed alongside Stanhope, told Page Six on Tuesday. “If he said it, I feel it’s true — a real-life ‘bros before hoes’ situation.”
Stanhope’s editorial came days after Heard appeared in court with bruises on her face from an alleged domestic violence incident involving Depp. Heard was granted a restraining order against Depp, who must stay 100 yards away from the “Magic Mike XXL” starlet. Heard’s camp also fervently denied Stanhope’s allegations that she blackmailed Depp.
While Stanhope’s support for Depp, 52, in the form of an accusatory essay struck many as bizarre, comedian Bill Burr has come to his defense.
“I just want to give Stanhope f—ing props for actually sticking up for the guy,” Burr said on his podcast on Monday. “The fact that somebody finally said, ‘Hey, this guy hasn’t been tried for anything yet, he’s a friend of mine, I know he would never do this’ — it was refreshing to finally read that.”
Fellow comedian Bonnie McFarlane echoed Burr’s sentiment on Tuesday.
“[Doug] wouldn’t say Johnny was innocent if he didn’t think it was true. Doug is almost motivated by the opposite of becoming famous, so I don’t think he did it to promote his career,” she explained. “He’s very proud of his friendship with Johnny.”
Stanhope revealed on “The Howard Stern Show” in May 2014 that he and Depp met when the actor approached him to work on a show together, occasionally documenting the process on social media.
Depp even wrote the foreword for Stanhope’s latest book, “Digging Up Mother: A Love Story,” which was released on May 10.
A request for comment from Stanhope was not immediately returned.