One of the most frustrating things about the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp situation is not just the bro-culture of Johnny’s fans, but the blatantly misogynistic tone of some/much of the reporting. The way Amber’s story has been second-guessed and third-guessed and fourth-guessed by TMZ and other outlets has gotten ridiculous at this point. So, let’s talk about some of TMZ’s reporting. Yesterday, we covered Entertainment Tonight’s exclusive about the alleged text messages sent between Amber and Johnny’s then-assistant, a man named Stephen Deuters. In the text messages (reportedly from 2014) that ET published, Deuters and Amber were texting about an incident that happened the night before, where Depp kicked Amber in a drunken rage. Deuters told Amber that Johnny didn’t even remember doing it and that Johnny is “a little lost boy.” So what does TMZ have to report about those text messages?

Johnny Depp’s assistant, Stephen Deuters, tells TMZ, the texts that were posted in which he allegedly apologized to Amber Heard for Johnny’s violent behavior are heavily doctored … and he never said Johnny attacked her.

Deuters says he knows of no acts of abuse toward Amber at the hands of Johnny and has never made such a claim to anyone. He adds, Johnny has never been violent toward anyone he knows.

Deuters says the texts themselves are suspicious because they don’t even show a date. Bottom line … he says he will testify under oath he never had a conversation about alleged violence with Amber.

[From TMZ]

First of all, it’s not like Amber doesn’t also have photos, witnesses and a video. Why are people acting like IF Deuters is telling the truth, then Amber’s story should be thrown out? Second of all, telling TMZ you will testify under oath about having no knowledge of abuse is different than actually testifying under oath and being cross-examined by a series of lawyers. Do you know what I mean? Lindsay Lohan can run to TMZ and tell them any story she wants (and she has, hundreds of times), but when it comes time to actually give testimony under oath, it’s a totally different story. Especially when Amber has made it pretty clear that she’s been holding on to two years’ worth of receipts which her lawyers will use to incriminate the dudes being sent out to muddy the waters on Amber’s claims.

As for those receipts, TMZ is still playing fast and loose with whether Amber has filed police reports and whether filing a police report is the make-or-break evidence in whether Johnny abused Amber for years. Many abuse victims never file police reports and it doesn’t make the abuse any less real, that’s all I’ll say. Anyway, TMZ also says that Amber has had a “change of heart” about filing a police report because she “doesn’t want to bury him” and she doesn’t want to see Depp arrested. But “sources connected with Johnny scoff at Amber’s sympathy,” and claim that Amber has just done all of this so that Alice Through the Looking Glass would bomb at the box office. Seriously? And no one is going to second-guess THAT claim?

Photos courtesy of WENN.