Rebel Wilson Faces Defamation Suit Over ‘The Deb’ Dispute

Rebel Wilson appeared at the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney on Monday to begin hearing procedures for a defamation lawsuit filed against her by actress Charlotte MacInnes. MacInnes, who holds a lead role in The Deb—the directorial debut from Wilson—has seen the film’s release significantly delayed amid ongoing legal battles. During the hearing, legal representatives for MacInnes characterized Wilson as a “bully,” alleging that the actress-director used MacInnes as “leverage” in a separate, contentious dispute with the film’s producers.

The core of the lawsuit centers on a series of Instagram posts authored by Wilson. MacInnes contends that these posts suggested she had been sexually harassed by Amanda Ghost, a producer on The Deb whom Wilson had previously sued for breach of contract and fraud. MacInnes argues that these public assertions caused significant damage to her professional reputation.

The controversy stems from an incident in 2023, where MacInnes and Ghost reportedly shared a bath while wearing swimming suits after returning from Bondi Beach. Wilson claimed that MacInnes had expressed discomfort regarding the situation. In a 2024 Instagram post, Wilson suggested that MacInnes had retracted her initial complaint after receiving professional opportunities from Ghost. “The fact that this girl has been employed now by this ‘producer’ in the lead role of a production called GATSBY (ART Boston) and given a record label — should be all the proof you need as to why she has now changed her story,” Wilson wrote at the time.

Representatives for MacInnes described Wilson’s comments as “a malignant allegation against my client, that she sold the allegation of sexual harassment in exchange for her own professional and commercial benefit.”

Conversely, Wilson’s legal team maintained that MacInnes suffered no reputational harm and suggested that her career trajectory was bolstered by her association with Ghost. “She’s suffered no harm to her reputation, indeed, her career has progressed,” Wilson’s lawyer stated. The defense argued that MacInnes lied by denying she had initially complained to Wilson about the incident involving Ghost.

In a sworn declaration filed last November, MacInnes disputed Wilson’s account, stating, “Ms. Ghost and I went swimming in the ocean near the apartment, and the cold water caused Ms. Ghost to have a medical reaction. I helped Ms. Ghost by bringing her back to the apartment and running a warm shower and bath to warm her back up. We both remained in our bathing suits, since we had been swimming in the ocean. There was nothing sexual or inappropriate about the incident whatsoever. It was a medical situation.”

In January, a Los Angeles judge granted a request to narrow the scope of the breach of contract and fraud lawsuit filed by Wilson, shifting the focus toward the production company behind The Deb rather than Ghost as an individual. The current defamation hearing is expected to last nine days and is being livestreamed via the Federal Court of Australia’s YouTube channel.