- Tillet Wright is a TV host, podcaster, author, and photographer who has lent his voice through his testimony to the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp defamation trial
- He was Amber’s friend for a while although the relationship has seemingly gone sour, it did not prevent him from testifying as a witness for the actress
- Io Tillett Wright as he is popularly known had a rough childhood and had to battle different stages of gender identity transition.
Tuesday, the 17th day of May and the 17th day of the defamation trial between ex-couple, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard saw a new witness mount the witness box. Well, not in flesh but Tillett Wright was the witness who was called upon to defend his former friend, Amber.
Tiller who is known as a renowned photographer, TV and podcast host, an author, and LGBTQ activist was friends with Heard for a couple of years from 2010. During the period of their friendship, he also got the opportunity to meet up and befriend Johnny Depp while he was in a relationship with his ex-wife.
Wright and Heard reportedly met while the former was working on a personal photography project. They met through a mutual friend and became friends almost immediately.
What Tillett Wright’s Testimony Revealed
39 year old author, Tillett Wright who was friends with both the plaintiff and the defendant in the ongoing defamation trial has spoken out about what he knows. Popularly referred to as io, Tillett lived in one of Depp’s apartments for a year before the actor’s relationship with his wife went south.
During the period, according to Wright, he witnessed Johnny being mean and misogynistic. This testimony was played in court as it was pre-recorded about a month ago.
Io stated that he never really saw Johnny Depp without a cigarette or blunt and so he was worried about how the actor functioned. Nonetheless, he attested to the fact that he never witnessed the Pirates of the Caribbean actor get violent or hit Amber.
He went on to describe times when Johnny, in a drunken or high state, would hurl insults at his then-wife. The actor was also supposedly wont to talk bad about her and other people when he wasn’t sober.
According to Tillet, Johnny once stated that people only used Amber for her looks. He recalled that during the conversation with the ex-husband, he said that when she’s old and wrinkly, nobody would be interested in her for anything again.
Tillett also revealed that Johnny admitted to haven experienced jealousy in his past relationships. He mentioned a couple of exes whom he experienced that with and it included Winona Ryder, Kate Moss, and Vanessa Paradis.
On one occasion, Wright overheard an altercation that he believed turned violent. According to his testimony, he was called up by Heard on the 21st of May in 2016 and she told him that Jhonny believes they defecated on his pillows.
This incident happened when the Nightmare on Elm Street actor went over to the penthouse which he shared with the Aquaman actress. He returned after a month of being away after having a fight with his then-wife and confronted her about the feces found on his bed.
While on the phone with Amber as she narrated Johnny’s thoughts to her friend who laughed at the absurdity of the thought. However, this reaction reportedly triggered Depp who became violent and ended up throwing Heard’s phone at her.
Still, on the phone, Tillett purportedly heard Depp asking “You think I hit you? What if I peel your hair back”? Then he heard Amber scream and he dropped the call to call for help.
The photographer reportedly called Heard’s neighbor, Raquel Pennington, and then the police. He also stated that he took to his Twitter to make a post about Amber’s domestic violence experience when a report from TMZ reported otherwise.
READ ALSO: Amber Heard Children- Who Is Oonagh Paige Heard? Does She Have Other Kids?
Here are Some Other Facts about Tillett Wright you Should Know
1. He had a Troubled Childhood
Tillett Wright was born on the 2nd of September 1985 in New York City, USA. He grew up in a neighborhood that was referred to as ‘the asshole of the universe’. His mother is identified as Rhonna while his father’s name is Ilya, a German avant-garde director.
In describing his mother, Tillet called her a sweet, protective woman whose loyalty was unfazed. However, she was a hoarder and couldn’t really provide for him and her. Rhonna was initially married to a man named Billy who was shot before the birth of Wright.
She went on to have a relationship with the father of Tillett but after the birth of their child, they did not further any relationship as they chose not to. However, they agreed to fend for their child together.
Wright grew up around junkies and had his mother change boyfriends often. She also would be sweet and loving during the day but wake up in the middle of the night, psychotic and screaming.
He never really had luxuries in life and remembers not having food nor light or any other basic amenities. He was also made to sleep in old cots as there was no proper bed for him to lay on.
At the age of 13, Tillett reported to his school guidance counselor and this prompted him to be taken away from his mother. He was then sent to his grandmother identified as Edie Wright whom he stayed with till he was sent off to Europe to go be with his dad.
Even though he was in Germany with his father, his life wasn’t any better as his father’s then-girlfriend used to maltreat and insult him.
2. Io Tillet Wright’s Parents were Alcoholics and Drug Addicts
The child of Rhonna reportedly knew that his mother was an alcoholic but did not know that she did drugs. At the age of 19, he and a friend was trying to clean up the apartment they lived in.
According to an earlier description, Wright’s mother was a hoarder and there was a lot of unnecessary stuff to discard. It was in the course of cleaning up that he discovered a secret his mother has been hiding.
He realized that his mother was using a substance known as ‘Speed’. She would also mix its intake with alcohol and this, further research shows could cause psychotic behaviors.
Io was about 19 at the time and his mother never really admitted to having a problem. On the other hand, his father admitted to haven used drugs as he was openly using heroin. After realizing how his ways affected his child, Ilya apologized for his activities.
Due to what he grew up experiencing, the young man decided against drugs. He made a promise to himself never to do alcohol or drugs and he tried his best to keep to his promise.
3. His Parents always Supported his Sexual Identities
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Tillett Wright was born a girl to his parents, however, he always identified as a boy. At the age of 6, she started identifying as a boy and this included changing his dress style and outlook. She felt like a guy in a girl’s body and so was not very comfortable in her birth-designated anatomy.
She remained this way for about 8 years of her life till she was 14 years old. At this time, she was in Europe with her father, and then she hit puberty and began to see her period. Then, io changed back identity to being a female and remained that till she was 18. Another determining factor was the fact that she was in a new environment and felt the need to make friends and not be seen as weird.
However, by the time she turned 18, Tillett felt uncomfortable in her identity. She then decided to revert and took up the guy identity once again. Finally, he chose to be transgender into a man and fully assume that gender.
Through the whole process of gender realization and switches, Rhonna and Ilya remained supportive of their child. According to Wright, this support and acceptance was the only thing his parents got 100% right in his upbringing.
4. Tillett Wright is Multi-talented
From when he was a child, he was already a star and celebrity. Tillett was a child actor and was bringing in money from that early age. He played boy-related roles at the time he was identified as a boy.
When he switched genders during his teen years, he then took up female roles but it was weird. People kept commenting on how he was distinct and unique and it put him off. The only time he actually felt comfortable playing a female-designated role was when he played a gay woman.
However, upon switching back to being a guy, he went back to playing his comfortable roles. He acted in movies such as Sex and the City as well as Holy New York.
The actor is also a TV and podcast host. He began his career as a TV host in 2016 when he hosted the MTV show, Suspect with the cohost Nev Schulman. The next day, he co-hosted with Max Joseph on another MTV TV show Catfish.
In 2019, he was the producer and host of ‘The Ballad of Billy Balls’ which was a crime investigation series. It was an investigation into the murder of his mother’s husband, Billy.
As a podcaster, io hosts about 5 episodes of‘ Cover Story’ which is a New York Magazine podcast. He also created and hosted a TED talk, themed ’50 Shades of Gay’.
The New York-born also has a website where he states that his purpose is to encourage people to be real about themselves. He also has a lot of followers on social media and is an activist for the LGBTQ community.
5. Is Io Wright Gay?
He is a transgender man who was born as a girl but did not feel comfortable in that gender. He, as already stated, transitioning through stages of self-realization and has reached the final stop.
Totally identified as a man now, io Tillett Wright has been in a couple of relationships with women. He has always been attracted to women and since his teenage days, has dated quite a few.
On November 4, 2016, he shared a picture of an unknown girl whom he addressed with an endearment. The name of the unknown girl was later revealed to be Hayden Dunham and he even referred to her as his platonic wife.
2018 came with a different love story for Wright though. This time he was flaunting a ‘dreamgirl’ who is known as Rachel Lee. They both shared a romantic kiss which made its way to social media.
6. His Book has Hugely Impacted a Lot of People
Apart from changing the way his father lived his life and saw his activities, Tillett also converts people. He is a public speaker and an activist and has truly redesigned the way a lot of people think.
His book written on September 12, 2017, titled Darling Day: A Memoir talks about the life and childhood of the young Wright. He mirrors his life while growing up and all the challenges he faced with his parents and identity.
Coming out as who he is in the book and talking about how it happened to him gave other people a sense of belonging. People who felt they were suffering and going through stuff alone began to find solace in the fact that they weren’t alone.
Io has written three books so far including; Oasis: Modern Desert Homes Around The World.
7. About Wright’s ‘Self Evident Truths’
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As a photographer, io taught himself all he needed to know about photography. His photographs date as far back as 2010 when a few were featured on the cover of The New York Times magazine.
In September of the same year, he launched Breedings which was his very first personal display of photographs. The second was themed Act Like You’re Fine and was a group show at Tokyo’s Vacant Gallery.
However, one of his most prominent projects in photography is Self Evident Truths: 10,000 portraits of Queer America. The project was a monograph about Americans who identified themselves as ‘other than 100% straight.’
