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Doug Stanhope claims Johnny Depp thanked him for calling out Amber Heard

While Amber Heard may not be happy with Doug Stanhope's essay about her -- in which he accuses her of blackmailing estranged husband Johnny Depp -- the comic insists that Depp himself is very pleased.

Stanhope sat down with Howard Stern for an interview on The Howard Stern Show Monday, and the radio host couldn't help peppering him with questions about the essay, in which Stanhope claimed Depp was "used, manipulated, set up," by Heard. The essay resulted in a defamation suit against him from Heard.

Stanhope explained that while Depp had not requested he write the essay, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star appreciated the gesture.

"I had no contact with him until he texted me after that went out," Stanhope said. "He said 'Hey, thanks for being honest.' He didn't know that was going out."

Amber Heard gets restraining order against Johnny Depp 00:30

Stanhope also took issue with how the essay was presented once it was picked up by entertainment news site The Wrap.

"I put it on my website, the title was: 'At A Loss For Words..." whatever it was," Stanhope said. "The Wrap got it as an exclusive or however that worked and said, 'Amber Heard is Blackmailing Johnny Depp, This is How I Know.' I didn't write that f**king title."

He also admitted that, given the suit by Heard against him, discussing the issue wasn't a wise idea. "Anything I say, they can twist my words. It's such a bulls**t suit," he said. "I wish I had my lawyer here. I should probably not talk about it."

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