Rebel Wilson takes to the witness stand for third day of testimony in defamation trial

Hollywood star Rebel Wilson arrives at the Federal Court of Australia the in Sydney on Thursday to give testimony in the defamation case against her. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP View image in fullscreen Hollywood star Rebel Wilson arrives at the Federal Court of Australia the in Sydney on Thursday to give testimony in the defamation case against her. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP Rebel Wilson takes to the witness stand for third day of testimony in defamation trial The Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor of Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has spoken about the upcoming birth of her second child as she entered the courthouse to give evidence for a third day in her blockbuster defamation battle. The Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes, the 27-year-old lead actor of the musical comedy The Deb. MacInnes claims she was defamed by Wilson in social media posts that suggested she is a liar who retracted a sexual harassment complaint to further her acting and music career. Wilson alleges the young actor confided she felt uncomfortable when the film’s co-producer Amanda Ghost asked to have a shower and a bath together in September 2023 but later reneged. MacInnes denies making or walking back a complaint, insisting she never said she felt uncomfortable. Wilson will continue to be grilled about her version of events when she returns to the witness box in the Federal Court on Thursday. Asked about the impending birth of her second child as she entered the courthouse, Wilson said her wife luckily hasn’t given birth yet in the US. She may be quizzed on documents MacInnes’ lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC previously requested, including communications that may relate to smear websites attacking Ghost. Wilson has denied in court having any involvement in ordering or authoring the websites which described the producer as the “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell” and a sex trafficker. She said her former US lawyer hired The Agency Group to assist her in a legal dispute with her co-producers but insisted the firm had not been commissioned to work for her. The firm is also accused of creating smear websites attacking Hollywood actor Blake Lively on behalf of her co-star Justin Baldoni. Wilson was asked earlier in the week to produce communications between her and the employees of The Agency Group, including a text chain with chief executive Melissa Nathan. Chrysanthou also called for any receipts for payments to the PR firm in an attempt to discern who paid for the services rendered by Nathan. An agreement tendered to the court shows Wilson’s US lawyer – with whom she has now parted ways – retained The Agency Group for strategic communication services in connection with the star. “As consideration for the Services, Rebel Wilson hereby agrees to pay Agency a sum of $25,000 USD per month,” the unsigned letter of agreement records. When asked about the agreement dated July 2024, Wilson said it had been sent to her lawyer despite being addressed to her. She rejected suggestions from Chrysanthou that she was being utterly dishonest and had lied for a year about the topic. Wilson also denied accusations that she raised MacInnes’ alleged complaint after it had been resolved in order to get her way during a dispute with her co-producers. Wilson’s barrister Dauid Sibtain SC contends that MacInnes made the complaint and then changed her story to ensure her career thrived with Ghost’s assistance. He has argued MacInnes’ career has progressed and she hasn’t suffered any harm to her reputation at all as a result of the social media posts, contrary to her allegations. Explore more on these topics Sydney Rebel Wilson Celebrity New South Wales news Share Reuse this content