Rebel Wilson in Defamation Trial Over Instagram Posts

Australian actor Rebel Wilson appeared in Sydney's Federal Court on Monday for the opening day of a defamation trial brought by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actress in Wilson's directorial debut film, The Deb. MacInnes alleges that four Instagram posts by Wilson between September 2024 and May 2025 falsely portrayed her as lying about a sexual harassment complaint against producer Amanda Ghost and withdrawing it for personal career gains, damaging her reputation.

The dispute centers on a September 2023 incident during production of The Deb, a musical comedy about a teenager attending a debutante ball in rural New South Wales. After swimming at Bondi Beach, Ghost experienced a medical episode from cold urticaria, a condition causing severe skin reactions and shaking. MacInnes assisted by helping Ghost back to a nearby penthouse apartment and running a hot bath and shower to warm her. Both women, still in bathing suits, entered the bath together, along with a third production team member who brought hot drinks. Court filings and testimony describe the bath as large enough that the women did not touch, and the group conversed casually, including a speakerphone call with Wilson. The...