Rebel Wilson is testifying in the Federal Court today as the high-profile defamation case launched against her by Charlotte MacInnes, the star of her directorial debut, The Deb, takes its next legal steps.
Wilson remained tight-lipped as she arrived at the Sydney court this morning, offering only a “good morning” to the media scrum as reporters quizzed her on how the case is going so far.
The Bridesmaids star is expected to give evidence in the witness box in court today, months after MacInnes accused her of defamation over a series of social media posts in which Wilson claimed the young actress walked back accusations of sexual harassment during the production of The Deb.
Also roped into the legal case is The Deb‘s producer Amanda Ghost. Wilson claims MacInnes came to her with an allegation that Ghost sexually harassed her during an alleged incident in Bondi in 2023, only to recant the accusation in order to secure more Hollywood roles through Ghost.
MacInnes, however, has denied ever telling Wilson of alleged sexual harassment, and accuses Wilson of defaming her by claiming on Instagram that she “changed her story” after making the allegation.
The defamation case kicked off in court earlier this month, with both sides making their case. MacInnes’ barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC described Wilson’s social media posts as a “malignant allegation” that her client “sold the allegation of sexual harassment in exchange for her own commercial and professional benefit”.
Countering that argument, Wilson’s barrister Dauid Sibtain said in court that “our case is that it’s true she [Ms MacInnes] changed her story” and argued that she later denied complaining “to ensure that her career as an actress and musician progressed by appeasing Ms Ghost”.
Neither team is denying the Bondi incident — in which MacInnes bathed with Ghost in a Bondi penthouse — took place, but are rather determining whether or not MacInnes complained about the incident to Wilson.
In court this morning, Chrysanthou said she expected to cross-examine Wilson for about two days, with the actress grilled on the allegation she directed a crisis PR team to create malicious websites attacking Ghost — an accusation she denied.
Wilson claimed it was her who first alerted The Deb‘s production team to the websites about Ghost and denied writing the content that appeared on the websites, including the allegation that Ghost is a “pimp”. The actress said she was “not sure” whether her lawyers were involved in the creation of the websites.
Wilson also testified about her claim that MacInnes confided in her that Ghost had asked her to have a bath and a shower together, and it made her feel uncomfortable — a conversation MacInnes claims never happened.
While in the witness box, Wilson answered questions about the delayed release of The Deb, claiming she thought it would be “crazy” to premiere the film without a press rollout or marketing campaign. Earlier in the case, Wilson was accused of “deliberately undermining” The Deb.
Wilson was also questioned about whether she “mistreated a number of women” during the production of The Deb, echoing previous arguments levelled by MacInnes’ legal team. Wilson rejected the sentiment in the witness box.
“If you look over my 25-year career, you can see many evidences (sic) of me supporting women,” Wilson said.
The actress denied mistreating both MacInnes and Ghost during and after the production of The Deb, describing allegations she “bullied” the pair as “absolute nonsense”.
Chrysanthou went on to accuse Wilson of “taking credit” for being the first plus-sized lead actress in a rom-com, recalling the controversy that comment created when she mentioned it on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2018.
Elsewhere in the testimony, Wilson answered questions about the interviews she’s given to media outlets about the case, claiming she “do[esn’t] recall” making negative statements about MacInnes in those interviews.
Wilson was also grilled about a post shared by her wife, Ramona Agruma-Wilson, last week. Wilson’s wife courted controversy when she uploaded an Instagram Story of Dory from Finding Nemo with the caption: “I suffer from short-term memory loss … or do I? I can’t remember.”
While Chrysanthou previously told the court that MacInnes felt “as though [Agruma-Wilson] was mocking the evidence that [she] gave”, Wilson claimed in court today that the post was about her wife’s “pregnancy brain” and not about MacInnes. Agruma-Wilson announced her pregnancy in December.
Lead images: 9News
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