A Complete Timeline Of Amber Heard's Relationships

The following article includes mentions of domestic abuse and sexual assault allegations.

In the spring of 2022, Amber Heard once again became a hot topic in the media, and it was not due to the upcoming "Aquaman" sequel coming out that December. The actor's lengthy and arguably messy defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp has captured the minds of the public and made her relationship history a particular point of interest, with many calling into question her past love life.

Amidst the fallout of her tumultuous relationship with Depp, the actor went on to find love again and date a handful of people, from film directors to art dealers. While she is single, at the time of this writing, Heard happens to be the mother of a daughter named Oonagh Paige Heard, whom she welcomed via surrogate in April 2021, per Parade. The actor is raising her daughter on her own, and wrote in part on Instagram that July, "I hope we arrive at a point in which it's normalized to not want a ring in order to have a crib."

While Amber Heard's romantic life remains up in the air these days, let's take a look back at the complete timeline of her famous loves.

As Amber Heard's career started to blossom, the "Aquaman" star started dating painter and celebrity photographer Tasya van Ree in 2008. Van Ree, who was born in Hawaii but relocated to Los Angeles, is known for her experimental art style and for photographing celebrities like Michelle Rodriguez, per Coveteur. Since the pair kept their relationship mainly private, many details of their romance are unknown. However, the couple were in a domestic partnership not long after they became an item in 2008, with Heard even taking her partner's last name and going by Amber van Ree, according to the Mirror.

Two years into their relationship, Heard publicly came out as bisexual during an interview with After Ellen at an event celebrating GLAAD's 25th anniversary. The actor revealed that she did not want to contribute to the culture of people feeling like they have to hide their sexuality, and told the outlet, "I hate the idea of a label just as much as anyone else but I'm with who I'm with, I love who I love and I'm if not a better actress than I was yesterday and my personal life should have no effect on that."

Heard and van Ree remained together for four years before splitting up quietly in 2012. While their relationship seemed to end on good terms, just a few years prior, the pair had an alleged altercation that would affect Heard to this day.

Just one year after Amber Heard and Tasya van Ree became a couple, the two were involved in an alleged domestic violence incident in September 2009. In the middle of traveling at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport in Washington, according to TMZ, Heard reportedly escalated a verbal fight between the two by grabbing and hitting her partner's arm. The alleged incident drew the attention of authorities, but following Heard's subsequent arrest for misdemeanor domestic violence, the prosecutor involved ultimately dropped the charges since both parties resided out of state.

Heard's quarrel with van Ree would play an important part in her divorce from ex-husband Johnny Depp. Despite not being charged with domestic violence, Depp would point to Heard's prior history of alleged partner abuse in his side of the divorce proceedings in 2016, while van Ree supported her ex-girlfriend as the news swirled through the media. Downplaying their prior incident in a statement, the photographer argued that it was blown out of proportion due homophobia and misogyny, saying in part (via Variety), "Amber was wrongfully accused for an incident that was misinterpreted . ... Amber is a brilliant, honest and beautiful woman and I have the utmost respect for her." 

The alleged arresting officer, Beverly Leonard, responded to van Ree's accusations on Facebook at the time, and not only revealed she is gay herself, but claimed (via the New York Daily News), "The arrest was made because an assault occurred (I witnessed it) and the parties were in a domestic relationship."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Amber Heard met actor Johnny Depp in 2009 while working on "The Rum Diary." In the film, Heard plays Chenault, the love interest of Depp's character, Paul Kemp. In the 2022 defamation trial between Heard and Depp, she recalled meeting Depp for the first time during the auditioning process, noting that the two formed a connection around their mutual love for different kinds of literature and music, as reported by the Independent.

Heard further testified in the trial that, while filming, she and Depp rarely crossed paths, but things changed when they filmed a romantic scene together. In the scene, Heard's character approaches Depp while he showers, and the two engage in passionate kissing. "It didn't feel like a normal scene anymore, it felt more real," she revealed in court (via the Daily Mail). "... He grabbed my face and pulled me into him and really kissed me."

The two both would admit that there was a kind of spark or chemistry between them at the time (via Page Six), but neither pursued anything romantic as they were each in relationships: Heard with Tasya van Ree and Depp with longtime partner Vanessa Paradis. "The Rum Diary" was released in 2011, and Heard and Depp appeared on press tours for it together, but remained friendly until 2012 — when their relationship went to the next level.

According to court documents obtained by Variety in 2019, Amber Heard claimed that she started dating Johnny Depp in late 2011 or the beginning of 2012, shortly after their film "The Rum Diary" was released. The two dated for nearly two years before getting engaged in 2014. Regarding the announcement, a source told People at the time, "Of course they couldn't be happier to be engaged and excited to share the rest of their lives together."

Depp and Heard were so in love that they got married not once but twice in two different ceremonies. The couple initially tied the knot in a private gathering at Depp's Los Angeles home in February 2015, according to People. Within the same week, just days after the pair were legally married, they celebrated their nuptials again on Depp's private island, Little Hall's Pond Cay, located in the Bahamas. The second ceremony was private, as well, with friends and family only in attendance.

At the time of their marriage ceremonies, Depp and Heard often complimented their shared married life in the media. When Heard opened up about their relationship that July, she told Elle, "Nothing is a dramatic change. We've been together for a long time now, so it's been a fairly organic process." Time would tell, however, that the couple were not fit for one another, and their relationship would quickly turn sour.

A little over a year after Amber Heard and Johnny Depp married, Heard filed for divorce in May 2016, citing irreconcilable differences as the cause. At the time, the actor accused Depp of being physically violent and verbally abusive toward her throughout their relationship, which allegedly came to a head on May 21 of that year.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the divorce filing came on May 23, just two days after police had been called by Heard's friend to her and Depp's Los Angeles residence following an alleged altercation between the two. The "Aquaman" actor alleged that Depp had hit her in the face with an iPhone, leaving her bruised. In addition to requesting a temporary restraining order from Depp at the time, which she was granted by a judge, Heard also sought spousal support, but was denied this request. In response to Heard's divorce filing and claims of domestic violence, Depp's lawyer accused Heard of "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse" in court documents (via People).

Despite their very public, bitter divorce and the domestic abuse claims each party has since made, Heard and Depp issued a joint statement after their divorce was finalized in August 2016, saying (via The Guardian), "Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. There was never an intent of physical or emotional harm. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gains."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Despite Amber Heard and Johnny Depp finalizing their divorce in August 2016, the two would become entangled in a messy public feud, which has resulted in a lengthy defamation trial. It started in December 2018, when Heard wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post, detailing her past as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault. While she did not name Depp in the article, she did claim that she was "a public figure representing domestic abuse," which left many presuming was a reference to her tumultuous relationship with her ex-husband.

The article swirled fast among the media and general public, and soon all eyes were on Depp once again. Shortly after it was published, Disney fired the actor from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie franchise, which led to a slippery slope of bad fortune for Depp's acting prospects, according to Time. By March 2019, Depp was ready to fight back to regain his career and filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, alleging that her piece had irrevocable damage on both his acting career and his reputation, per The Cut. In response, Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming that his lawsuit was an attempt to destroy her reputation by delegitimizing her claims, as reported by NPR.

At the time of this writing, the trial has yet to reach a formal verdict, but each person has argued their own side of the story through testimony. It will ultimately be up to the jury to decide on the outcome of the case.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Amber Heard met Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk while shooting the 2013 film "Machete Kills." At the time, Heard was dating Johnny Depp, and Musk was still married to Talulah Riley, per Page Six. The two reconnected at the Met Gala in May 2016 and allegedly started dating shortly after, as reported by Insider. People confirmed their relationship in April 2017, with a source telling the outlet at the time, "When the time was right and they were both single last year, [Elon] started pursuing her romantically."

Heard and Musk had a short-lived relationship and split up that August, only to rekindle their love a few months later in October 2017 and permanently break up in February 2018. The movie star opened up about her relationship with Musk in December of that year, telling The Hollywood Reporter in part, "Elon and I had a beautiful relationship, and we have a beautiful friendship now, one that was based on our core values."

However, evidence from Heard's 2022 defamation trial with Depp painted a different picture of her experience with Musk. The psychologist who evaluated Heard for the purposes of the trial, Dr. Dawn Hughes, testified that the actor allegedly told her she was emotionally numb when she dated Musk. This was further seemingly proven through text messages between Heard and her former agent, Christian Carino, who texted after she and Musk split (via Insider), "You weren't in love with him and you told me a thousand times you were just filling space."

As part of her divorce settlement with Johnny Depp, Amber Heard received $7 million, which she promised to donate to charity in 2016. The money was supposed to be divided up two ways between the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), according to NPR. The director of the ACLU, Anthony Romero, praised Heard for her donation pledge, saying in a statement (via the ACLU blog), "We are incredibly grateful that Ms. Heard has so very generously shown her support for the important and necessary advocacy for victims of domestic violence."

Heard made her first donation to the organization in 2016 for $350,000, according to Insider. The chief operating officer for the ACLU, Terence Dougherty, revealed in a sworn deposition for the 2022 defamation trial that after the actor's first donation, three more donations rolled in: one from Depp for $100,000, and two others from separate funds for $500,000 and $350,000 — amounting to just $1.3 million. Dougherty believed the $500,000 donation, which came from a Vanguard charity fund, belonged to Elon Musk, who'd reportedly communicated to Romero via email that Heard's promised donation would be made in full by 2026.

Regarding the donations, and his former relationship with Heard, Musk has stayed mostly quiet. He diplomatically addressed the overall situation between Heard and Depp with Page Six in 2020, saying, "Life is too short for such extended negativity. Nobody is going to say, after it's all over, that they wished the court battle had lasted longer!"

After her very tumultuous relationship with Johnny Depp and her short-lived romance with Elon Musk, what has Amber Heard's dating game looked like? Just months after her breakup with the SpaceX founder, Heard started dating art dealer and filmmaker Vito Schnabel in May 2018. The pair were together for the remainder of the year, but appeared to split up sometime in March 2019, when the Daily Mail reported that Schnabel was hanging out with model Denise Shaefer in New York City. Not long after her split from Schnabel, Heard was allegedly dating filmmaker Andy Muschietti, known for directing "It" and "Mama." According to Us Weekly, Muschietti was reportedly the one who showed interest in Heard first, which led to the two casually dating. The longevity of their relationship is unknown, but it is presumed that they split sometime before Heard started her latest romance, as of this writing.

Heard began dating cinematographer and writer Bianca Butti (pictured, left) in January 2020, per The U.S. Sun. Regarding their relationship, a source told Us Weekly that February, "Bianca has been very supportive of her, and Amber feels like she can trust her and be comfortable around her, especially since they were friends first." The two dated for the remainder of 2020 and most of 2021, before breaking up that December. The split was allegedly due to their conflicting, busy schedules, with an insider telling the Mirror, "With not being in the same country for months at a time ... it leaves very little time for romance."