Rebel Wilson has denied lying in a defamation trial as she told Australia’s Federal Court she had no role in websites that attacked producer Amanda Ghost during her dispute with the makers of ‘The Deb’. The Hollywood actor said she did not write, order or approve the smear sites, which referred to Ghost in extreme terms, while lawyers for actor Charlotte MacInnes accused Wilson of using an alleged harassment complaint as leverage.
Rebel Wilson denies role in smear websites
According to The Guardian, MacInnes, the Australian lead actor of the musical comedy ‘The Deb’, is suing Wilson over social media posts that she says damaged her reputation. MacInnes claims the posts suggested she lied, retracted a sexual harassment complaint and did so to help her career.Wilson says MacInnes told her she felt uncomfortable after sharing a bath in swimwear with Ghost following a medical episode in September 2023. MacInnes denies making the complaint.The court heard the claims appeared on smear websites created by a crisis PR team. The sites described Ghost as an “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell” and a sex trafficker.Wilson denied authoring or ordering the websites. She said her United States lawyer hired The Agency Group to help with a legal dispute involving her co-producers. She repeatedly said the firm had not been commissioned to work for her.The Agency Group has also been accused of creating smear websites against Blake Lively for her ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star Justin Baldoni.
Charlotte MacInnes defamation trial continues
MacInnes’ barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, accused Wilson of lying and pretending not to understand questions.“You know you’ve lied about this topic for a year haven’t you?” Chrysanthou asked.“No,” Wilson replied.The court heard that a word document appeared to be the source of the website content. Its metadata listed Wilson’s company as the author. Wilson denied knowing about the document and said anyone could have used the company name.Wilson said she would not have been horrified by the claims against Ghost because the producer was allegedly bullying and harassing her at the time.Asked if she still saw herself as a champion of women, Wilson said, “Yes.”“If you look over my 25-year career, you can see many evidences (sic) of me supporting women,” she said.Wilson denied mistreating MacInnes and Ghost on ‘The Deb’, calling bullying claims “absolute nonsense”.Her lawyer, Dauid Sibtain SC, said the key issue was whether MacInnes complained to Wilson and later changed her account.“She changed her story,” Sibtain said, adding that she did so to protect her acting and music career by appeasing Ghost.
More about the lawsuit and trial
MacInnes filed the defamation case over Wilson’s social media posts linked to the dispute around ‘The Deb’. She argues that Wilson’s posts harmed her reputation by suggesting she had made a sexual harassment complaint, then changed her account to protect her career prospects.Wilson denies those claims and has maintained that MacInnes did raise concerns with her. Her legal team has argued that the central question is not whether MacInnes was harassed, but whether she made the complaint to Wilson and later changed her story.The case has also drawn attention because of claims about the smear websites and the crisis PR firm allegedly involved. The court was told that the sites attacked Ghost and referred to the alleged complaint, while Wilson denied creating them or directing anyone to create them.Wilson’s evidence focused on her lack of involvement in the websites, her dispute with the co-producers and her belief that she had acted out of concern. MacInnes’ side has argued that Wilson used the alleged complaint as part of a broader conflict connected to the film.The trial is continuing in Australia’s Federal Court.
