Rebel Wilson faces defamation hearing over Instagram harassment claims

Rebel Wilson arrived in Sydney court as a social-media dispute tied to her film The Deb moved squarely into defamation law, with Charlotte MacInnes seeking damages and an order to stop Wilson repeating the allegations online.

The Federal Court of Australia has opened a public online file in MacInnes v Wilson, case number NSD1727/2025, citing public interest. The file includes the applicant’s particulars of aggravation, a statement of agreed facts and an agreed statement of issues for determination, and the hearings will be livestreamed on the court’s YouTube channel.

At the center of the case are Instagram posts Wilson uploaded to her 11 million followers and that remained visible for 24 hours. MacInnes says Wilson falsely suggested she had privately complained about sexual harassment by one of the film’s producers. MacInnes is seeking aggravated damages and an injunction preventing Wilson from repeating the claims online or elsewhere, underscoring that the fight is about controlling further reputational harm as much as compensation.

Wilson has denied the claims. She accepts uploading the series of posts, but denies that two of them referred to MacInnes. MacInnes was represented in court by barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, while Wilson’s barrister was Dauid Sibtain. Wilson is expected to give evidence in the second week of the nine-day hearing.

The dispute traces back to September 2023, during production of The Deb. Reports say producer Amanda Ghost had a medical episode after swimming at Bondi Beach and was helped back to a Sydney apartment, where she warmed up in a bath while still in her swimmers. Wilson’s side says MacInnes later told her the incident made her uncomfortable; MacInnes denies that. Wilson has also alleged that MacInnes later withdrew her complaint after being given career opportunities by Ghost.

The clash widened as the relationship between Wilson and the producers deteriorated over the film’s finances and contracts, including alleged unapproved fees totaling around $900,000. The Deb premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, but its Australian rollout was repeatedly delayed, first from January 15, 2026 to April 9, 2026, before it was finally released in Australia on April 9.

What began as a behind-the-scenes production dispute has now become a test of how quickly celebrity allegations can acquire legal and commercial consequences once they leave a closed set and land before millions of followers.