By Faith Molitor
Elm Staff Writer
This past month, the trial between actress Gwenyth Paltrow and Terry Sanderson went viral, inspiring countless memes, as well as discourse surrounding what constitutes a fair trial.
According to the BBC, the trial lasted for seven days and was broadcast on numerous television networks, including Court TV and the Law & Crime Network.
After suing Paltrow for damages in 2019, Sanderson took Paltrow to court on March 23 in Park City Utah to settle over a 2016 ski crash, according to The Guardian. He requested $3.1 million dollars for head and rib injuries, and argued that Paltrow allegedly left the scene without calling for help.
Sanderson supported his case through medical records that stated changes in his demeanor, stating that he had a “loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement” that resulted in a change of personality, according to BBC.
The actress did not give up though, testifying that she did indeed leave her information with her ski coach, Eric Christansanen, who noted what had happened and who hit who in his report of the incident.
Paltrow won the case, suing Sanderson for emotional damages for one dollar and legal fees.
According to CNN, after winning the case, Paltrow exited the courtroom and whispered “I wish you well,” to Sanderson.
The absurdity of the trial — including the baffling questions asked about unrelated topics, Paltrow’s winnings, and her whisper to Sanderson — encouraged viewers at home to watch the spectacle unfold. According to The New York Times, Twitter users following the case coined the term “Gwynnocent” to talk about the alleged unfair treatment of Paltrow during the case.
Vanity Fair writer Keznie Bryant likened watching the trial to watching the high-stakes drama of a show like “Succession.”
“These two ‘shows’ aren’t related at all, but the center of the Venn diagram for their audiences is, as they say, a circle. Rich misery — still a fruitful avenue for attention harvesting,” Bryant said.
Spectacle is not an unusual component of celebrity trials, however. Many people become glued to the primetime drama that unfolds during these cases, which can often change the importance of the issue that is at the foreground of the case.
“Millions of people across the country were glued to their TVs watching football star O.J. Simpson’s murder trial in 1995, pop star Michael Jackson’s molestation trial in 2005 or even the heartbreaking case surrounding the death of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony in 2011. And in each of the major cases often cited as pop culture phenomena, the drama from the courtroom became as much a topic of fascination as the circumstances of the case,” Ian Sherr and Erin Carson said in their coverage of the Depp v. Heard trial for CNET.
Paltrow’s trial comes on the heels of Depp v. Heard, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s mutual defamation case, which was publicized across social media this past summer.
After Heard wrote an opinion piece about abuse she experienced, Depp allegedly lost work, leading him to sue for defamation. During the trial, which lasted for almost two months, Heard countersued Depp for defamation.
According to Insider, Heard lost, giving Depp $15 million, but Depp was also held for defamation against Heard at $2 million.
The trial, which was also aired live, similarly inspired memes, discourse, and even advertisements, according to NBC.
For almost two months, the trial was inescapable; currently, “Depp v. Heard” has over three billion views on TikTok, with videos mocking the abuse receiving hundreds of millions of views.
Additionally, former President Donald Trump is also set to go on trial later this year following his indictment on April 7. According to The New Yorker, Trump’s trial will cover “thirty-four counts of falsifying business records in the first degree- a felony.”
While Trump’s trial does not begin until December, social media had a frenzy following his indictment, according to Mashable.
As social media’s love for drama increasingly merges with the thriving celebrity culture in America, celebrity trials will likely continue to capture the attention of audiences.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Photo caption: Following Paltrow’s win, Twitter users quickly spread the hashtag #Gwynnocent to celebrate the end of the trial.