Key moments from Rebel Wilson’s defamation testimony

In a defamation battle with a former colleague on The Deb, Australian actress Rebel Wilson has delivered wide-ranging evidence that included pimp allegations, a Disney character, and Tim Tams.

Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson has given evidence under intense cross-examination by Sue Chrysanthou SC, the leading defamation barrister representing Perth-born actress Charlotte MacInnes.

The Federal Court proceedings were instigated by MacInnes over four Instagram posts that related to Wilson’s allegation that the young star had been sexually harassed by producer Amanda Ghost while the two shared accommodation in a Bondi Beach penthouse.

MacInnes said there was a medical incident that required the two to be in a bath at the same time, but denied it was sexual harassment.

On day one of her cross-examination, Wilson insisted she was told by MacInnes in early September 2024 that the incident had made her “feel uncomfortable” but was unable to come up with any specific words spoken by either of them before or after the alleged confession.

“Why is it you don’t have any of this, either in this letter or in the affidavit or in 60 Minutes [interview]?” Chrysanthou said.

Wilson replied: “It was a short conversation. I took it that MacInnes was confiding in me. I was pretty shocked by it. I had a very professional relationship with Ghost, and I took it as a sexual harassment complaint.

“At this point, I’ve worked for years on the movie, where weeks out from shooting, and such a girl power movie, and the worst thing that could have fallen into my lap at that point was a sexual harassment complaint against a producer.”

Chrysanthou’s cross-examination traversed a number of allegations said to have been made by Wilson, including one about the producers having embezzled $900,000 from the film’s budget.

Asked if she understood what the word “embezzling” meant, Wilson replied: “I use it in the sense of being dodgy with money.”

Taken aback, Chrysanthou clarified that Wilson knew the word was in English and that English was her first language. Satisfied, Chrysanthou then asked if Wilson gave a “serious answer”.

“It’s a word you have thrown around in sworn statements, affidavits, media interviews, emails, and in this letter [sent by her lawyer] about Ghost and Cameron, did you not think it incumbent on you to understand what it means?” Chrysanthou asked.

Wilson repeated: “I think generally people would mean it is doing dodgy things with money.”

Chrysanthou sought to have Wilson confirm that “not one cent” passed to Ghost or Cameron, but Wilson said it was “incorrect”.

“Are you serious, Ms Wilson? You’re lying right now while you sit there, aren’t you?” Chrysanthou put to the actress.

Wilson replied: “It’s outrageous for you to say that.”

Much of the cross-examination remained tense, with Chrysanthou at one point seeking clarification from Wilson on her involvement with a crisis public relations agency, The Agency Group (TAG), around the time Ghost and Cameron sued her for defamation in the United States.

Wilson maintained that TAG was retained by her lawyer.

Asked if she instructed her lawyer to engage them, Wilson said it “was his idea”. Pushed on whether this meant the agency was providing their services for Wilson, she answered: “For a case involving me.”

Chrysanthou took Wilson to a letter sent by the lawyer to Ghost, Cameron and Holden, in which it outlined several allegations of misconduct, including embezzlement and sexual misconduct.

Wilson insisted the language was his “bombastic” style and claimed she had “no memory” of approving the letter to be sent.

“I sat down with [the lawyer], I gave him a lot of information, talked to him as my lawyer and wanted him to contact them about the outstanding issues,” Wilson said of the incident.

When asked whether she had ever apologised to the producers for the “despicable” allegations in the letter, Wilson said she had not.

Wilson was accused of lying or providing self-serving evidence on a few occasions, including the reason why she did not appear in the courtroom after the first day of the proceedings, whether Tim Tams paid for product placement, and a meme featuring a Disney character posted on her wife’s Instagram during MacInnes’ evidence.

Chrysanthou also targeted a statement made in her affidavit, in which Wilson claimed to “regard myself as a champion of women”.

“As you sit here, truthfully, do you still say that you regard yourself as a champion of women?” Chrysanthou questioned.

When Wilson answered “yes” to this and to a follow-up question about whether this was illustrated in her commitment to The Deb, Chrysanthou put to her that she “mistreated a number of women involved in this film”, such as MacInnes and Ghost.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever mistreated a woman, and there were no complaints raised against me on The Deb or at any time in my 25-year career,” Wilson insisted in reply.

Chrysanthou went through and listed the alleged mistreatment, then finished by putting to Wilson she was “not a champion of women”.

In one example, Chrysanthou pointed to a social media post made by Wilson about a journalist who had allegedly harassed her grandmother but had included an image of the wrong woman.

When asked if she refused to “promptly correct and apologise”, Wilson said she could not recall. She repeated this when asked if she remembered being forced to make the apology due to litigation.

“By failing to immediately correct [the record], you utterly mistreated her, didn’t you?” Chrysanthou put to her.

Wilson said: “I don’t remember when I apologised or corrected the mistake.”

Chrysanthou then put to Wilson that rather than championing women like MacInnes and Ghost, she “bullied and harassed” them.

“That is absolutely nonsense,” Wilson said.

The cross-examination will continue on Wednesday, 29 April.