iO Tillett Wright was one of Amber Heard’s most vocal supporters during the divorce. When I wrote about Wright, I didn’t always know which gender he identified as, but in all of the coverage of this new Wright story, outlets are using male pronouns, so I’m going with that, and it seems to be his preference as well. As I said, Wright was one of Amber’s biggest defenders, and Wright wrote an incredibly moving essay about calling 911 on Johnny Depp. That was a few months back. Now that Amber and Johnny have settled their divorce, Wright is talking more about what happened and how he feels about it now. Some quotes:
Wright says Amber lost money in the divorce: He said the amount was about a sixth of what she could have been awarded, adding: “And she paid all her own legal fees.”
Why he wrote the essay for Refinery29: “That situation was so public. I’m not ever going to be one of them – I’m not ever going to be an A-list celebrity. But I chose to get involved in that situation because it was imperative to say what I thought was right.”
On Johnny’s problems: “It’s a tough thing. My attitude about that is the same as the attitude I have about my parents . People are very rarely bad people. People have things happen to them, and people have pain that they’re trying to get around. Everybody is trying to dance with their pain and sometimes it’s, who do you stab in the process? It’s what you do about having stabbed them that’s the delineation between people you can have in your life and people you can’t.”
He lived with Amber & Johnny for a time last year: “They saved my life. One hundred percent,” he said of the couple, revealing they got him on plane back to L.A. after telling him to call them if he ever needed anything. The activist says Depp’s generosity did not end there. The actor once offered to help Wright financially, but he rejected the offer, fearing that it would poison their friendship.
Wright says that he hasn’t been in contact with Depp in a while and doesn’t plan to be in contact with him in the future. Wright is very much Team Amber, still, saying: “Amber is one of my best friends.” I believe him about Amber losing money, although I do think Depp had to pay for Amber’s legal fees? Although considering how fast and loose Depp played with the terms of the settlement, who knows?
Photos courtesy of Getty.
iO tweeted that he was manipulated by the journalist who interviewed him:
“So profoundly bummed on the media right now. Manipulations and Frankensteined information from shoddy tabloid sources in the first place. 💔”
“I am appalled. I NEVER sat down to discuss my friends or their marriage. I said that was off limits. I was tricked by @GilesHattersley”
“@thesundaytimes @TheSTMagazine this is appalling and a disgusting manipulation. I never agreed to discuss this with you. Make this right.”
“I agreed to discuss my book, and @GilesHattersley spun it to be me talking about them to benefit myself. Absolutely disgusting. 0 integrity”
Damn.
And in a land of Mail on Sunday, Sunday Mirror, Express, Star e.t.c The Sunday Times is usually biblical in credibility & reliance!!
Saw that, but what the heck happened? Off record or something else? Damn i need twitter, i want answers, maybe someone could ask io…
It doesn’t sound like The Sunday Times to me. My gut feeling is that he probably got a bit carried away by the spotlight and over shared. Maybe it wasn’t intended and it shocked him when he saw it in print, but It comes across as though he used his insider information to help promote himself and his book.
Is she saying she was off record or that the writer made it up? I cant tell from her tweets. I was worried that Johnny would claim this as Ambers breach of whatever NDA she signed. The man is vindictive to a fault, he totally would. I wouldnt be surprised if Amber told i0 to back away asap.
So is that entire conversation completely fabricated? That is appalling if so!
It can’t be completely fabricated nor lies because there were quotes. The journalist would risk, not only to lose his job but also the media a lawsuit. No media publish an interview as the cover story, without the tape of it. And IO hasn’t claimed it were “lies” only that he was manipulated and tricked
So this is two options: he’s bummed because it was supposedly to be about his book and ended all about Johnny and Amber
Or she spoke everything in “off the record” and ended all published in the article anyway, despite of what the journo and IO agreed
My opinion, is the second. She spoke in “off the record” because there are things that never were talked openly before, like IO’s time living with the couple and how they saved their life by rescuing him in NYC or that Johnny offered money to him and he refused because Johnny tends to be doubtful (paranoid) about everybody’s motives around him so IO didn’t want to tarnish their friendship
iO would have to be really stupid to think that a reporter wasn’t going to write about any info surrounding one of this years biggest stories. If iO really didn’t want to make this about Heard and Depp they could have just told the reporter “no comment”to those questions, it would not have been so hard. Instead they decided to talk about the case and then want to turnaround and play the victim.
I don’t think he was tricked into talking. He knew that his biggest claim to fame is his connection to Depp. The only reason why his first project “WE ARE YOU” got any headlines was because of Depp and his daughter. The only reason he got a show on Mtv was because of his relationship to Depp. The only reason why most know his name is because of his essay about Depp, so it’s not hard for me to believe that he dropped these tidbits in the hopes that that would bring attention to his book. That’s why he goes overboard and tries to make it seem like they were so close. You mean to tell me that the woman you knew for years is only seen as your best friend but the guy you knew for a minute was ” like a brother to you” ( that’s what he says in the original article the quotes come from)? You were just friends with Heard but Depp was family? Okay sure. And of course the only reason why you guys don’t talk is because YOU don’t want him in you life. Sure, Jan.
That just sounds like someone trying to make themselves seem more important by trying to make other think the more famous of the two people involved in that divorce was really close to him.
They knew that dropping Depp’s would get him more press so just own up to it and don’t play the victim.
I’m not sure I agree with you on they won’t publish in quotes if they don’t have a taped conversation. I think there are plenty of instances where it is basically made up entirely. The reality it most celebrities and people in general don’t sue. It’s expensive and complicated even if your case is good. I read everything from most media with a large dose of salt.
Not presuming any of this is true, but I have to harp on Amber’s lawyers who I think stink. How do you claim your client is broke, which they did in legally filed papers, then you don’t insist she get some money out of the divorce. One of these things just doesn’t jibe. I honestly didn’t believe she was broke, which it doesn’t appear she is now, but it did foster the gold digger scenario, which obviously isn’t true. See her lawyers stink they should have been the calm in the storm had a philosophy and a plan and gone with it. Instead they were all over the place.
It does seem like it’s pretty personal info to just drop into a conversation about a book and hope that the journalist doesn’t use…
I am not sure why there should be any doubt over the legal fees. It has always been said that the $7M included any legal costs, so if it was all given away then Heard would have to pay out of her own pocket. This is just additional confirmation.
That was my understanding all along as well.
Yes.
How do You pronounce his name? Yo?
Is it the Person who had a relationship with Amber pré Johnny?
I’m pronouncing his name in my head like Captain EO, but I have no idea if that’s right. And no, this is another friend.
Thanks for the answer tealily. I mixed up two persons. He was the one who witnessed an assault, not the ex.
Unlike most of you I had heard of Io before the Depp/Heard divorce. She (she identified as a woman at the time) gave a TED talk about gender identity a few years ago that I saw on Upworthy in which she described living as a boy for 8 years as a child. It has been viewed millions of times and I all suggest you check it out because it is really interesting.
Then came the show with Nev Schulman from Catfish which I’m pretty sure aired before the divorce drama and would have been in development way before any of that happened. So no, Depp did not provide Io with a TV show on MTV. Nev and Io have been friends for awhile, it’s due to Nev and his MTV Catfish connections.
Io definitely has been getting more press for speaking out about the divorce sure. And obviously was naive to discuss it with a reporter. But he is not an unknown entity, that TED talk gave him a lot of attention.
He is an unknown entity to the majority of the general public.
Well since your comment is in response to mine I’ll respond.
Thanks for clarifying the Mtv thing, that what I wrote is what I read so that’s why I wrote that in my original comment. I still stand by the notion that he used his Depp connection on purpose to get more press for this book and is not some naive that didn’t know what would happen if they talked about them.
Besides the fact that People mag, a tabloid that only publishes what actors pr want them to and has a history of being iO’s best friend’s mouth piece, wouldn’t have put this up if it wasn’t okay’d and I doubt iO would have disrespected his friend by talking about her business without running it past her first. So this all looks like a well planned operation to me.
If io didn’t want it to be published he should have answered with a ” no comment “.No matter if it was off record or not that was very private information.It looks like he’ll open up about other people’s lives with no hesitation. He just wanted to promote his book and he knows that Depp is the reason he is getting that little amount of fame. No excuse here sorry. My personal opinion is that since the case is settled and over he should stop talking about it especially since according to him Depp saved his life. No need to talk to the media since legal action won’t happen.
So the journalist fabricated the interview or what?
would that effect Amber? I don’t think it would honestly even if the interview is true. she can’t be legally accountable for others right?
Watching Criminal Minds. Amber Heard was in an episode in 2006. She looked so different. Definitely has lost weight and has probably had some subtle plastic surgery.
She needed better lawyers.
Never heard of this person. This is how he got his publicity by ratting out his friend.
Pretty sure that JD doesn’t want to be in contact with him either.
iO being Team Amber is the same as Doug and Marilyn being Team Johnny.