Rebel Wilson faces court claims over defamation trial in Sydney
rebel wilson was at the centre of a Sydney defamation trial on the first day of proceedings in the federal court, where lawyers for Charlotte MacInnes said claims made by the Hollywood star were false and damaging. The case focuses on social media posts Wilson made in 2024 and 2025 about MacInnes, who stars in Wilson’s film The Deb. The dispute turns on whether MacInnes complained about a bath incident involving producer Amanda Ghost and whether that account was later misrepresented.
What the court heard on day one
The court heard that Wilson posted on Instagram that MacInnes had felt “uncomfortable” after sharing a bath with Ghost and that she had retracted a complaint in exchange for a major theatre role and a record deal. MacInnes denies making any such complaint, and her legal team says the posts tarnished her reputation for integrity and honesty. On the first day of the case, the court reviewed private texts between Wilson, Ghost and MacInnes, along with emails about the bath and alleged sexual harassment.
The incident at the centre of the dispute happened on 5 September 2023 after MacInnes and Ghost went for a late afternoon swim at Bondi Beach. Ghost had an allergic reaction to the cold water and was left with red welts and shaking uncontrollably, the court heard. MacInnes then helped her back to a beachside apartment, ran a bath for her, and both women later got into the bath while wearing swimsuits. A court hearing was told the bath was large and the two were not touching.
rebel wilson and the disputed messages
Lawyers for MacInnes told the court that she made no complaint to Wilson about the bath incident, and that Wilson later used the episode as leverage in a dispute with producers over the film’s budget and contracts. The court also heard that Wilson later sent a text message saying MacInnes had only meant the situation was “bizarre, ” not that she personally felt uncomfortable. That same night, the court heard, the group attended a Boy George concert.
In court, Sue Chrysanthou SC, for MacInnes, said the allegations that she had been sexually harassed by Ghost and then retracted a complaint to further her career were “completely false, fantasy, malicious concoctions”. She said the texts and emails showed a different picture from the one presented in Wilson’s posts.
Defamation trial and immediate reactions
MacInnes is seeking damages in the case, saying the posts damaged her standing as an actor and musician. Wilson’s lawyer, Dauid Sibtain, told the court that MacInnes lied by denying she had complained to Wilson, saying the denial was made to ensure her career progressed by appeasing Ghost. The court also heard claims that Wilson had hired a private investigator and had false information published online to portray MacInnes as a “money grabbing opportunist”.
Wilson’s side says the complaint was withdrawn only when MacInnes decided to support the woman who had allegedly harassed her. That clash over what was said in the studio in September 2023 is now the key dispute in the case. The exact sequence of conversations, messages and reactions will be central as the trial continues in Sydney.
What happens next for rebel wilson
The court is now expected to keep testing the competing accounts of the bath incident, the studio conversation and the social media posts that followed. With both sides sharply divided, the case is likely to turn on the documents, messages and witness accounts already before the court. For rebel wilson, the next stages of the trial will determine how the court weighs her posts against MacInnes’ claim that her reputation was wrongly attacked.
