Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
REBEL WILSON’S DEFAMATION FIGHT:
WHO IS INVOLVED?
* Actor Rebel Wilson, a Hollywood star who featured in films such as Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids
* Actor and singer-songwriter Charlotte MacInnes, an emerging talent who starred in Wilson’s directorial debut The Deb
WHAT ARE THE ALLEGATIONS?
* Wilson used social media to claim MacInnes confided in her she was sexually harassed by a producer but had retracted the claim to further her career
* MacInnes denies making that complaint to Wilson and is suing her for defamation, arguing the allegations seriously damaged her reputation
* The claims centred around co-producer Amanda Ghost, who was assisted by MacInnes after she suffered a medical episode at Bondi Beach
* In an attempt to warm up, the pair bathed together in their swimmers at an apartment where they had been staying with others during the filming
WHAT DID WILSON POST?
* “When an actress on her first feature film is asked by a producer to stay in the same apartment as them, and then makes a complaint to me as the director saying said producer ‘asked her to have a bath and a shower with her and it made her feel uncomfortable’ – what am I supposed to do?” – Wilson via Instagram stories in July 2024
HOW DID MACINNES RESPOND?
* “False accusations undermine real victims and I won’t be the subject of a fabricated narrative”. – MacInnes in July 2025
WHAT HAVE LAWYERS SAID?
* “No such conversation occurred. That is a fabrication by Ms Wilson.” – MacInnes’ lawyer Sue Chrysanthou
* “The reason she (MacInnes allegedly retracted the claim) is obvious … to ensure her career as an actress and musician progressed by appeasing Ms Ghost.” – Wilson’s lawyer Dauid Sibtain
WHAT IS THE DEB?
* A musical comedy set in rural NSW only recently released due to various legal battles
* It scores 53 per cent on Metacritic, 5.3/10 on IMDB and 84 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes
WHAT ARE THE OTHER LEGAL BATTLES?
* Production company AI Film has alleged in the NSW Supreme Court Wilson falsely accused it of trying to block the release of the movie
* AI Film and co-producers of The Deb are suing Wilson in California over allegedly defamatory claims she made publicly about them
