Rebel Wilson has denied lying in a defamation trial, telling the Federal Court of Australia that she had no role in her dispute with the makers of ‘The Deb’ on websites that attacked producer Amanda Ghost. The Hollywood actor said he did not write, order or approve the smut sites, which refer to Ghost in extreme terms, while lawyers for actress Charlotte MacInnes accused Wilson of using an alleged harassment complaint as leverage.
Rebel Wilson turns down the role smear websites
According to The Guardian, MacInnes, the Australian star of the musical comedy ‘The Deb’, is suing Wilson over the social media posts, which he says have damaged his reputation. MacInnes claims the publications lied, retracted a sexual harassment complaint and did it to help her career.Wilson says MacInnes told her she felt uncomfortable sharing a bathing suit with Ghost after a medical episode in September 2023. MacInnes denies having complained.The court heard the claims appeared on smear websites set up by a crisis PR group. Ghost was described by the site as “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell” and a sex trafficker.Wilson denied authoring or ordering the website. He said his US lawyer had hired The Agency Group to help him in a legal dispute involving his producers. He repeatedly said that the company had not received an order to work for him.The Agency Group has also been accused of creating anti-Blake Lively classifieds websites for ‘It Ends With Us’ star Justin Baldoni.
The Charlotte MacInnes defamation trial continues
MacInnes’ barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC accused Wilson of lying and pretending not to understand the questions.“You know you lied about this for a year, don’t you?” Chrysanthou asked.“No,” replied Wilson.The court heard that a word document appeared to be the source of the website’s content. Its metadata listed Wilson’s company as the author. Wilson denied knowledge of the document and said anyone could use the company’s name.Wilson said she would not be intimidated by the claims against Ghost because the producer was allegedly harassing and bullying her at the time.Asked if she still saw herself as the women’s champion, Wilson said, “Yes.”“If you look at my 25-year career, you can see a lot of evidence (sic) of helping women,” she said.Wilson denied abusing MacInnes and Ghost on ‘The Deb’, calling the harassment claims “absolute nonsense”.His barrister, Dauid Sibtain SC, said the key issue was whether MacInnes changed his account after complaining to Wilson.“He changed his story,” Sibtain said, adding that he did it to protect his acting and music career by appeasing Ghost.
More about the case and the trial
MacInnes filed a defamation case over Wilson’s social media posts in connection with the lawsuit over ‘The Deb’. She says Wilson’s posts damaged her reputation, suggesting she made a sexual harassment complaint and then changed her account to protect her career prospects.Wilson denies the claims and says MacInnes raised concerns about him. His legal team has argued that the main question is not whether MacInnes was harassed, but whether he changed his story after reporting to Wilson.The case has attracted attention because of claims about the crisis PR firm allegedly involved. The court was told the sites attacked Ghost and referred to the alleged complaint, while Wilson denied creating them or targeting anyone.Wilson’s evidence was that when he did not participate in the websites, he believed that he acted out of concern and conflict with the producers. MacInnes’ party has argued that Wilson used the alleged complaint as part of a wider dispute related to the film.The trial continues in the Federal Court of Australia.
