Rebel Wilson Labeled a ‘Bully’ in Defamation Lawsuit Brought Against Her by Actress in Film She Directed

Rebel Wilson is being called out amid her legal battle with Charlotte MacInnes, who starred in her 2024 movie The Deb.

MacInnes is suing the director, 46, for defamation and on Monday, April 20, her lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou, labeled Wilson a “bully” for “slagging” her client on Instagram with defamatory posts, in court in Australia, according to Page Six.

The defamation lawsuit arose because the Pitch Perfect star alleged MacInnes was sexually harassed by the film’s producer, Amanda Ghost, after the pair took a bath together in 2023, per Page Six.

However, Chrysanthou claimed that the two women bathed together in an apartment in Sydney because Ghost developed cold urticaria — “a reaction that appears within minutes after skin is exposed to the cold,” resulting in “Itchy welts,” per Mayo Clinic — after swimming at Bondi Beach. Ghost was clothed, and MacInnes was wearing her bathing suit.

After the incident, Wilson alleged that MacInnes told her she felt uncomfortable with the encounter. Wilson claimed MacInnes withdrew her complaint because Ghost was willing to help her career.

According to MacInnes, Wilson wrote on Instagram that MacInnes backpedaled her claim because Ghost gave her a record deal and a role in a live show, per Page Six.

“Ms Wilson was not a whistleblower who was seeking to protect a young actress,” Chrysanthou told the court Monday, stating she shared her concern about MacInnes “as leverage” amid a disagreement with producers about “budgets and contracts” for the flick.

Meanwhile, Wilson’s attorney, Dauid Sibtain, argued: “The central issue for determination in this case … is this: whether Ms MacInnes reported to Ms Wilson that she’d been asked by Ms Ghost to shower and bathe with her and whether she said it made it feel uncomfortable and whether she later changed her story,” per Page Six.