Johnny Depp's defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard really blew up his private life for the entire world to see. And one of the surprising revelations that came out of it was the actor's uncontrollable spending habits.
From luxury yachts to purchasing a cannon to shoot writer Hunter Thompson's ashes during the latter's funeral, Depp was extravagant with his spending according to his former money manager of 17 years. And when cautioned about it, he started a habit of spending even more! One such expense was his “excessive” wine consumption.
Joel Mandel and The Management Group (TMG) managed Johnny Depp's finances for 17 years, between 1999 and 2016. But he fired them after an external auditor went through his books and advised him to do so.
This had come up after Depp's spending had become 'increasingly irresponsible' as per Mandel.
Depp went on to file a lawsuit against TMG alleging that they had mismanaged his money and 'spent millions of dollars without his permission'. He sought $25 million in damages, which included the professional fees he had paid to TMG over the years.
TMG countersued Depp, stating that his financial problems were because of his own habits and shared details of .
As per the depositions in the lawsuits, Johnny Depp made an estimated $600 million during the time he employed Joel Mandel and TMG, and would spend his money carelessly on 'a luxurious and extravagant lifestyle'.
This included spending $75 million on 14 homes, $18 million on a 150-foot yacht, $200,000 every month on private jets, $100,000 every month on an addiction specialist, and $4 million on a failed record label.
He even paid $5 million one time to shoot his friend Hunter Thompson's ashes out of cannon during the latter's funeral. They became friends after Depp portrayed Thompson in the movie .
According to TMG's countersuit, Depp “often responded by rebuking and cursing his business managers for issuing [warnings and advice], while increasing his extravagant lifestyle and spending, and demanding that his business managers find some way to pay for it all."
TMG and Johnny Depp settled their lawsuits outside of court in 2017.
Depositions from Johnny Depp and TMG's lawsuits were subpoenaed by Amber Heard's team during Depp's defamation lawsuit against her. .
The recorded testimony of Joel Mandel revealed that Johnny Depp's spending had skyrocketed around 2010, which was the same year he filmed and met Amber Heard. And that Depp's alcohol and drug consumption had increased dramatically as well.
"What I had always experienced as someone who liked to enjoy his wine at the end of his day became consumption that became excessive,” Mandel said.
Depp's expenditure on wine was around $30,000 per month.
The testimony also added that before their divorce in 2016, in Los Angeles.
The decision of who would pay the outstanding bill had been part of their lengthy divorce settlement battle.
According to Mandel, Depp refused to 'take measures to get his finances under control.'
One suggestion had been to sell some of the 14 properties he owned around the world to pay off his rising debt.
During Johnny Depp's defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, his legal team called upon financial auditor Edward White to testify for him.
During that testimony, White said that after the divorce from Amber Heard had been finalized, Depp had mostly settled his pending wine bill.
"His wine bill has shrunk to virtually zero because he does not continue to consume much in the way of wine," White said.
But White admitted that it was not zero because Depp still ordered wine from the merchants, 'especially during Christmas time when he gives out bottles as gifts.'
Details of Johnny Depp's current wine consumption levels are not known. But his history with alcohol consumption has been well-documented, . He even got his tattoo “Winona forever” changed to “Wino forever” after his divorce from Winona Ryder.
According to , . And his legal battle with in the UK revealed even more about his lifestyle, including pictures of him blacked-out drunk.
The , including cocaine, MDMA, Adderall, and opiates.
