Rebel Wilson was labelled “nuts” by a PR team she allegedly hired to create websites attacking a co-producer of her directorial debut, a court has heard.
The Pitch Perfect actor directed, co-produced and acted in The Deb, a musical comedy set in rural NSW that remained unreleased for two years due to legal disputes.
She is being sued by the film’s lead actor, Charlotte MacInnes, over social media posts claiming the young performer made a sexual harassment complaint against co-producer Amanda Ghost.
MacInnes denies making the complaint to Wilson and says she has been harmed by the older actor’s suggestions she withdrew the alleged comments in exchange for a lead role and a record deal.
“[This is] a malignant allegation against my client that she sold the allegation of sexual harassment in exchange for her own professional and commercial benefit,” her barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC said.
The court heard the claim was referenced in malicious smear websites created by a crisis PR firm that attacked Ghost and alleged she was a sex trafficker.
Wilson is accused of ordering The Agency Group to publish the websites but has consistently denied any involvement.
She became a client of the crisis management team in July 2024, months after MacInnes allegedly made the complaint, according to evidence given by former The Agency Group employee Katie Case.
Texts between the agency’s staff referred to Wilson as “fucking nuts”, the federal court was told on Tuesday.
Case was told by her boss Melissa Nathan in August that Wilson wanted one of “those sites” created.
“It can be really really harsh … making her a madam basically lol,” Nathan instructed, according to court documents.
“Oh my god lol ok this one will be fun,” Case replied.
She understood she was being asked to draft copy that could be used to create a take-down website that could be “used as a tool to aid attorneys in ongoing litigation”, the ex-PR employee told the court.
Case was provided a “fully drafted” word document of what was wanted for the website, which she edited and supplemented with content suggested by her colleagues.
She had no idea who authored the document, but metadata later revealed it had been created under the name of Wilson’s company, she told the court. But Case accepted anyone could have written in or edited the document before it was sent to her.
The PR agent had never met or spoken to Wilson, she told the court.
“The websites are a distraction,” her barrister Dauid Sibtain SC told the court on Monday.
“They are not really about the critical issue in this case … [which] is that Ms MacInnes did in fact make a complaint to Ms Wilson.”
More details about the aftermath of the alleged complaint were revealed by Ghost’s friend, theatrical producer Carmen Pavlovic. She recounted how Ghost had had a medical episode at Bondi beach in September 2023 and was assisted by MacInnes before they shared a bath wearing their swimmers.
Ghost seemed angry and very upset with MacInnes after Wilson claimed the young actor had complained about feeling uncomfortable, Pavlovic told the court.
The producer and Wilson suggested MacInnes might be “troublemaking” but Pavlovic encouraged them to follow proper processes to ensure the young actor felt heard.
“I was concerned things could blow up if they weren’t properly clarified,” she told the court.
Ghost’s husband and co-producer on The Deb, Gregor Cameron, is set to testify on Tuesday afternoon. Both producers are embroiled in a separate lawsuit against Wilson in the NSW supreme court.
The Deb was released earlier in April in Australia after legal issues prevented its widespread release following its 2024 film festival premiere.
The trial continues.
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