Rebel Wilson denies bullying, lying claims amid The Deb lawsuits
Open 60 MinutesWilson explained the legal situation around Debt “like your worst nightmare”.
“I don’t remember the last $20 million movie that ended in three lawsuits,” Wilson said.
Rebel Wilson with 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown on the set of The Deb at Carcoar in October 2023.
Wilson is being sued by MacInnes in Federal Court; MacInnes claims Wilson slandered him on Instagram and changed her story about being sexually harassed by MacInnes’ producer, Amanda Ghost.
The film’s British producers, Ghost and Gregor Cameron, and Australian executive producer Vince Holden sued Wilson for defamation in Los Angeles Superior Court, after Wilson claimed on Instagram that the trio blocked the film’s premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Appearing in a video post in July 2024, Wilson accused them of “inappropriate behavior towards the lead actor” and “embezzling funds from the film budget.”
Separately, Holden’s company AI Films filed a lawsuit in the NSW Supreme Court in September alleging Wilson was blocked. Debtwas released under legal threats and MacInnes was falsely exposed as the victim of sexual harassment.
“When you have the opportunity to direct a movie, it’s something you work on for years,” he said. “These, these issues came out of left field and yes, they were terrible to deal with and I had to try to resolve these issues professionally.”
Deb team at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival: (left to right) Natalie Abbott, Rebel Wilson, Charlotte MacInnes and Stevie Jean.Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images
Open 60 MinutesWilson reiterated Ghost’s allegations that he sexually harassed MacInnes. “All I can say is that he [MacInnes] When she came to me, she made what I clearly took to be a sexual harassment complaint, and I had a duty at the time to act on that,” Wilson said.
The sexual harassment allegation stemmed from an incident at Bondi Beach in 2023, when Ghost, who went to the beach with his assistant and MacInnes, experienced a “medical reaction” to cold water. The assistant and MacInnes helped him back to his nearby flat, who then joined Ghost (while both still in their swimsuits) in a hot bath to help him warm up.
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Accordingly 60 MinutesWhat happened next is debatable.
Wilson: “Charlotte MacInnes came up to me and said, ‘Last night Amanda Ghost asked me to take a bath and shower with her,’ and that really bothered me.”
Brown: “And there’s no doubt that’s what he did. He came to you and used those words.”
Wilson: “Yes.”
Brown: “Are you 100 percent sure about that?”
Wilson: “Yes, 100 percent. Yes. He told me he was uncomfortable, yes.”
Steph Tisdell (left), Shane Jacobson, Tara Morice, Rebel Wilson and Natalie Abbott at The Deb.
Brown then challenged Wilson’s version of events, asking him why MacInnes had “risked perjury” and denied that an exchange between him and Wilson had taken place.
“All I can say is, he came to me, made what I clearly made a complaint of sexual harassment, and I had a duty to act on it,” Wilson replied.
Brown also challenged Wilson over text messages he sent to Ghost following the MacInnes incident, in which Wilson allegedly admitted nothing happened between Ghost and MacInnes.
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“I can describe these texts as me trying to maintain professional communication with Amanda Ghost,” Wilson said. “That producer is the source of access to the money for the movie, and I try to protect that, weeks before we start shooting the movie, and I try to communicate very professionally, but at the same time I feel very uneasy.”
Brown also asked Wilson if he was being a little “rude” by calling MacInnes a liar, especially if Wilson believed MacInnes had been sexually assaulted.
“I have great sympathy for him, and I want to make it clear that when I first raised this issue publicly, I did not identify him,” Wilson said. “He chose to make statements and identify himself as the player involved, and I was very gracious in remaining silent. And this is the first time I’ve spoken out about it.”
With the film finally set to hit Australian cinemas in January (but with no international release date set), Wilson admitted: DebtWith ongoing litigation “it may not be the success and celebration that it should be in Australian cinema”.
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