Sell-out claim, bath dispute, and Instagram posts: Rebel Wilson hit with defamation suit

A Bondi Beach swim that sparked a medical episode and remedial bath spiralled into a defamation lawsuit by actress Charlotte MacInnes against Rebel Wilson over behind-scenes-fighting on the yet-to-be released movie The Deb.

Ms MacInnes is suing Ms Wilson for defamation in the Federal Court claiming serious and personal professional damage, distress, and hurt from Instagram posts Ms Wilson made about her interactions with one of the film’s producers.

Ms Wilson’s Instagram posts alleged Ms MacInnes had been sexually harassed in her first lead actress role in The Deb movie, but that is denied by the actress.

In a copy of the lawsuit provided to The Nightly, Ms MacInnes says she was defamed when Ms Wilson inferred on Instagram that she “was a sell out, in that she falsely denied being a victim of sexual harassment in exchange for a lead role in a production and a record label.”

Ms MacInnes is being represented by Giles George lawyers and defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC.

The lawsuit pits an actress in her mid 20s with one television credit and an unreleased movie against one of the best-known Australian actresses in the world, who has appeared in 39 movies dating back to Fat Pizza in 2003.

A musical comedy set around a debutante ball in a country town, The Deb is the first film directed by Ms Wilson. It was shown at last year’s Toronto Film Festival but hasn’t seen by the public since.

Bathroom drama

The court documents allege that one of the film’s producers, Amanda Ghost, needed to have a bath at a Bondi apartment after falling ill during a swim in cold water at Bondi Beach in September, 2023.

While both women remained in their bathing suits, Ms MacInnes ran a bath and shower for Ms Ghost to help stabilise her condition.

The lawsuit alleges Ms Wilson defamed Ms MacInnes on Instagram last September 2024 by suggesting the actress “falsely changed her story that a producer of the film The Deb had made her feel uncomfortable by asking her to have a bath and a shower with her.”

The claim details that Ms Wilson published several Instagram stories detailing that MacInnes complained she had been sexually harassed. Ms MacInness denies Ms Wilson’s claims and alleges Ms Wilson continued to double down on and repeat her claims in further Instagram stories.

Other parts of the claim assert Ms Wilson’s American publicists were instructed to create anonymous websites to attack Ms Ghost and Ms MacInnes under the addresses such as amandaghost.com and amandaghostsucks.com, according to the complaint.

“We won’t stop,” one of the websites said. “We’re in this until Amanda Ghost is exposed for the evil that she is. As the Indian Ghislaine Maxwell, she trades on pleasure for protection…

“Failing in music she turned full pimp, reinventing herself as a theatrical producer alongside her husband while really procuring young women for the pleasure of the extremely wealthy.”

Links to the websites were sent to associates of the two women and posted on the movie’s Instagram page, prompting Ms MacInnes to tell a media outlet: “Making false accusations undermines real victims and I won’t be the subject of a fabricated narrative.”

The lawsuit includes text messages between Ms Wilson’s publicists allegedly discussing the websites.

“It can be really really harsh,” one the message said, according to the website. “making her a madam basically lol.”

The other publicist allegedly replied: “Oh my god lol ok this one will be fun”

Ms Wilson is also being pursued for damages in a separate Supreme Court case in Australia by UK-based film production AI Film, which alleges the actress is seeking to sabotage the release of The Deb film.

Ms Wilson’s representatives were contacted for comment.