Fact Check: Did Amber Heard Launch an OnlyFans Account?

Amber Heard continues to be the target of an onslaught of viral social media videos and claims, including those about her career and sources of income.

In April, Heard embarked on a six-week court battle with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, who had filed a $50-million lawsuit against her over her 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, in which she claimed to be a domestic abuse survivor.

On June 1, the jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, after finding Heard's claim to be false and defamatory. The judge adjusted the punitive damages to $350,000, as Virginia law limits the value of punitive damages available.

Heard, who had countersued for $100 million, was awarded $2 million after it was found that Depp's former attorney, Adam Waldman, had made defamatory comments about her.

The screen star's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, has since stated that Heard cannot afford to pay the compensatory damages awarded to her former husband.

The Claim

Throughout court proceedings, Heard became the focus of countless clips on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, with a sizable number of the posts portraying her negatively.

One TikTok post (archived here) shared on June 20 ventured into the unexpected, with the uploader claiming that Heard had launched an account on OnlyFans.

OnlyFans is a platform that is popular with adult entertainers and those wishing to monetize nude and scantily-clad images. The platform is also used by physical fitness experts and musicians, among others.

"Heard has done the impossible," said TikTok user @meechreacts21 at the start of the video. "So recently, Amber Heard was spotted shopping ta TJ Maxx... and the reason this is impossible is because people are wondering why she's shopping at TJ Maxx when she's worth negative $6 million.

"Where did this money come from? Well, she actually started an O.F. And guess how much the subscription is? $6 million. And guess who's supporting this? Travis Scott!"

Captioning the post, @meechreacts appeared to be referring to rapper Scott as he wrote: "He ended [up] canceling and got a refund."

The TikTok user supported his video clip with screenshots, including one of a website purporting that Heard has a current net worth of -$6 million, and a generic imagine of the OnlyFans homepage.

The video has been viewed more than 12 million times.

Similar claims and suggestions have also emerged on Twitter amid reports that Heard may not be able to pay the fine.

The Facts

Amber Heard was, indeed, seen shopping at TJ Maxx, with photos emerging of her perusing items in a Hamptons, New York, branch of the discount department store in mid-June.

However, the Aquaman star has never publicly announced that she has joined the growing list of celebrities to have launched an account on OnlyFans.

In the TikTok video making the claim, it was clear to see that the OnlyFans page displayed was in no way affiliated with Heard. The tone of the TikTok video appears to be somewhat satirical in nature, suggesting that the uploader himself did not seriously present the claims as facts.

Posts on other platforms, including Twitter and Reddit, suggesting Heard was forced to open an account on the platform, were also unevidenced.

Having searched the platform, Newsweek did not identify any verified accounts run by Heard. With no known OnlyFans account being publicly affiliated with Heard there is, of course, no Scott to serve as her purported $6 million subscriber.

Newsweek has contacted Amber Heard and Travis Scott for comment.

The Ruling

False.

While photographs were published of Heard shopping at TJ Maxx, there is no evidence to support the TikTok's claim that the Hollywood star has opened an OnlyFans account. Heard has at no point been publicly associated with the platform.

FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK