Rebel Wilson was described as “f*****g nuts” by the crisis PR team she allegedly engaged to attack Amanda Ghost, the producer of her directorial debut The Deb.
Wilson is being sued for defamation by The Deb actress Charlotte MacInnes over Instagram posts in which the Pitch Perfect star alleged that MacInnes complained about Ghost after they shared a bath together in 2023. The trial is taking place at the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney.
Lawyers for MacInnes have accused Wilson of hiring Melissa Nathan, the American publicist of The Agency Group (TAG), to launch websites that smeared Ghost. Wilson has consistently denied this, telling a U.S. court last year that she “unequivocally” played no role in “conceiving, planning, registering, directing, creating, writing, or posting the content of the websites.”
The alleged smear campaign included the site, amandaghostsucks.com, which — in an apparent reference to MacInnes — alleged that an actress had been rewarded for “remaining silent about the abuse she suffered at Ghost’s hands.” Sue Chrysanthou, MacInnes’ barrister, described it as a “malignant allegation” that is denied by her client.
MacInnes’ case includes messages that originally emerged in the It Ends with Us dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, in which PR executive Nathan tells former colleague Katie Case that “Rebel wants” a “really harsh” website about “Amanda.”
Case gave evidence to the Sydney trial via video link on Tuesday. Case said she was provided a “fully drafted” document of what was wanted for the website, but she did not know who authored the document.
Metadata showed the document was created under the name Camp Sugar, Wilson’s production company, but Case accepted that this was not evidence that it was authored by Wilson, whom she has never met. The court heard that texts between TAG’s staff referred to Wilson as “f*****g nuts,” per Australian Associated Press.
Dauid Sibtain, Wilson’s barrister, told the court that Ghost websites were a “distraction” and that the “critical issue in this case” is whether Ms MacInnes “did in fact make a complaint to Ms Wilson.”
At the heart of the case is an incident in September 2023, when Ghost shared a bath with MacInnes in a Sydney apartment after they had been swimming on Bondi Beach.
Chrysanthou, for MacInnes, told the court on Monday that Ghost suffered cold urticaria after the swim, a condition that effectively renders people allergic to cold water. Ghost was shaking uncontrollably and came out in hives, with MacInnes helping her back to the apartment, where they bathed together in swimsuits to help warm up Ghost.
Wilson has claimed that MacInnes told her that the incident made the young actress uncomfortable. Wilson has further alleged that MacInnes later withdrew her complaint after being given career opportunities by Ghost.
MacInnes denies this and is suing Wilson over four Instagram posts. This includes one in September 2024, in which the Bridesmaids star claimed MacInnes changed her story after being cast by Ghost in a Gatsby stage show and receiving a record deal. Chrysanthou, MacInnes’ barrister, told the court that Wilson was a “bully” for “slagging” MacInnes in Instagram posts.
The case continues. Justice Elizabeth Raper is overseeing the trial.
