Rebel Wilson’s memoir Rebel Rising to be heavily redacted when it hits shelves in Australia

Rebel Wilson’s memoir will be published in Australia next month but with an entire chapter on her claims of working with Sacha Baron Cohen blacked out.

Despite the whole book, titled Rebel Rising, being published in the US weeks ago, Aussies will only be able to get their hands on a redacted version when it finally hits shelves on May 8.

HarperCollins Australia said the chapter called Sacha Baron Cohen and Other A..holes would be blacked out in the Australian and New Zealand edition for legal reasons.

There will also be a note addressed to readers explaining the reason why, with differences in defamation law around the world a determining factor.

“That chapter is a very small part of a much bigger story and we’re excited for readers to know Rebel’s story when the book is released, on Wednesday 8 May,” the publisher said in a statement.

In the highly publicised chapter, Wilson recounts her alleged experience filming the 2016 film Grimsby – titled The Brothers Grimsby in the US – alongside Baron Cohen as his wife.

The Pitch Perfect star alleges the Borat actor told her to strip off when filming scenes for the comedy which Baron Cohen has strongly denied.

“While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby,” his representatives said.

The book was originally set to be released globally in early April, but was pushed back in the UK and Australia “to coincide with Rebel Wilson’s press tours”, HarperCollins repeatedly claimed.

At the same time, Wilson said Baron Cohen was attempting to stop the book’s publication, writing on Instagram: “I will not be bullied or silenced with high priced lawyer or PR crisis managers.”

The memoir was published unredacted in the US three weeks ago, and was extracted in People magazine.

The UK version of the book will have most of one page redacted in the chapter.

The news comes after Wilson posted to Instagram thanking those who have “acknowledged my experiences with Sacha Baron Cohen”.

“Thank you for sharing your own stories with me. I am so grateful to you and really appreciate it,” she wrote.

In the wake of the revealed allegations, Baron Cohen’s wife Isla Fisher announced the couple had divorced after 14 years of marriage.

“After a long tennis match lasting over twenty years, we are finally putting our racquets down. In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage,” a statement on Fisher’s Instagram said.

“We have always prioritised our privacy, and have been quietly working through this change. We forever share in our devotion and love for our children. We sincerely appreciate your respecting our family’s wish for privacy.”