Rebel Wilson wins defamation case over The Deb posts
Rebel Wilson has won a high-profile Australian defamation case after a Federal Court judge dismissed claims brought by young actress Charlotte MacInnes. Justice Elizabeth Raper ruled Wilson's Instagram posts about her film The Deb were not defamatory and ordered MacInnes to pay costs.
Key Takeaways
- An Australian Federal Court judge on Wednesday dismissed Charlotte MacInnes's defamation claim against Rebel Wilson.
- The dispute centered on Wilson's Instagram posts about MacInnes and the making of Wilson's directorial debut, The Deb.
- Justice Elizabeth Raper found MacInnes failed to show the posts caused, or were likely to cause, serious harm.
- MacInnes was ordered to pay Wilson's legal costs; Wilson called the outcome a "substantial win."
The celebrity breaking news ruling closes one chapter in a bitter legal fight around The Deb, the Australian musical comedy Wilson directed and that starred MacInnes in the lead role.
According to CNN, MacInnes accused the Pitch Perfect star of spreading lies to millions of Instagram followers, saying the posts made her the "subject of abuse, hatred and ridicule online" and hurt her career prospects.
What did the court decide about Rebel Wilson?
Justice Raper dismissed MacInnes's application and ordered her to pay Wilson's costs. ABC News reported the judge found that while one of Wilson's 2024 social media posts conveyed an imputation about MacInnes, it was not defamatory.
CNN reported that only one claim was "made out" — that MacInnes had changed her story about being uncomfortable — and that finding was not defamatory. The judge also held MacInnes had not established serious harm to her reputation.
Shortly after the hearing, Wilson posted on Instagram thanking the judge and the Australian legal system for what she called a "substantial win" in "THE DEB matter," adding that she looked forward to moving on.
Why did Charlotte MacInnes sue Rebel Wilson?
MacInnes sued over posts in which Wilson suggested she had withdrawn a complaint of sexual harassment against the film's producers to further her career as an actor and singer. MacInnes denies ever having made a complaint and sought general and aggravated damages, plus damages for breach of confidence.
At the heart of the dispute was a September 2023 incident in which MacInnes and producer Amanda Ghost shared a bath at a Sydney penthouse rented by the production. Wilson said she understood MacInnes to be reporting sexual harassment and felt obliged, as director, to act. MacInnes and Ghost said there was nothing sexual about the bath.
What happens next for The Deb and related cases?
The Deb premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, opened in Australian cinemas earlier this year, and is slated for a U.S. release in August. Wilson has described the legal storm around the film as "like your worst nightmare."
Separate disputes continue. Producers including Ghost have launched their own defamation case against Wilson, and court filings around the production have aired wider allegations. Wilson's win does not resolve those other matters.
In a social media statement after the judgment, Wilson called The Deb her "dream job," said she was proud to keep making films — including her second directorial project, Girl Group — and noted that film will also premiere at TIFF in September.