'Obviously, I Now Rate Above Johnny Depp': Australian Deputy Prime Minister Claps Back At Amber Heard After Actress Named New Dog After Him
Dec. 27 2021, Published 12:27 p.m. ET
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is clapping back after learning that Amber Heard named her new dog after him.
Over the Christmas weekend, the 35-year-old actress revealed to her millions of social media followers that she had added a third pup to the mix.
"Meet the newest member of the Heard family, Barnaby Joyce!" the Aquaman star captioned a photo of herself standing in front of a Christmas tree while carrying a large, shaggy hound wearing a red bandana.
Despite the obvious dig, the National Party leader told The Australian he was "fine" with the name choice and insisted he had "no problems with animals."
But his response wasn't all cordial. After all, the actress has not shied away from taking shots at the politician since her infamous dog-smuggling scandal of 2015 – her new pooch's name being the latest.
"I get a real sense of accomplishment that I'm still in her head long after I've forgotten about them," Joyce told the outlet, snarkily adding, "Obviously, I now rate above Johnny Depp."
Barnaby Joyce (the dog) has joined Heard's two Yorkshire Terriers, Pistol and Boo, who made headlines over six years ago when their mother was accused breaching Australia's strict biosecurity laws after failing to declare them when she flew into Queensland on a private jet.
Depp's then-wife also did not abide by the country's 10-day pet quarantine policy.
At the time, Joyce gave the former couple a 50-hour deadline to send the dogs back home or turn them over to customs authorities to be euthanized.
"It's time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States," he told the two.
Since then, the actress has reveled in many of Joyce's miseries, including when he lost his seat in Parliament in 2017 after it was discovered that he was actually a New Zealander.
Despite her seemingly flippant attitude about the dog-smuggling ordeal, the issue has resurfaced.
This past October, it was revealed that Australian officials had launched a new investigation into statements she had made during the initial probe, accusing her of possible perjury.
Heard's excuse at the time was that the necessary paperwork simply "slipped through the cracks," insisting there was "no attempt to deceive." After issuing a public apology and blaming the mishap on both ignorance and lack of sleep, she managed to avoid charges.
However, the topic was dredged up due to statements made during Depp's United Kingdom libel trial with media outlet The Sun.
Last summer, the 58-year-old actor's former estate manager, Kevin Murphy, called Heard's explanation into question, telling the London court that she had ordered him to lie under oath about the dog-smuggling incident.
Murphy swore that prior to her trip, he explained to Heard "several times the fact that trying to take the dogs into Australia without completing the mandatory process was illegal and could result in very harsh penalties including euthanizing the dogs."
When the controversy went public, he said the actress demanded that he provide a "false statement" to the Australian court, saying that she didn't know anything about the process.
The country's Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment then quietly reopened a criminal investigation into Heard's previous claims. Officials abroad enlisted the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to track down witnesses in the U.S.
According to The Daily Mail, at least one of those witnesses has already provided investigators with a lengthy statement and "a trove" of emails that allegedly implicate the actress.
Sources close to the situation believe she could very well be charged.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Under the Queensland penal code, perjury carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years, while subornation of perjury can result in seven years behind bars.
It's unlikely that Heard will be extradited to Australia, but she could potentially risk arrest if she tries to enter the country again.
The actress' U.S. attorney denies that her client is facing a fresh probe, while a spokesperson for the Australian government insists that the investigation is very much a go.
