A legal dispute between Rebel Wilson and Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actress in Wilson's directorial debut The Deb, heads to a hearing in Australia's Federal Court next week. The proceeding will be live-streamed on YouTube. MacInnes accuses Wilson of damaging her reputation with claims of sexual harassment by producer Amanda Ghost.
The hearing is set for Monday, April 20, at 10:15 a.m. local time in the New South Wales branch of the Federal Court of Australia. The court announced the live stream on its YouTube channel to ensure open justice. It remains unclear if Wilson or MacInnes will attend in person. MacInnes claims Wilson alleged she was sexually harassed by Amanda Ghost and then colluded with Ghost to cover it up, harming her reputation. Wilson has described Ghost's sharing of a bath with MacInnes in a Sydney apartment in September 2023 as an abuse of power that made MacInnes uncomfortable. Ghost and MacInnes acknowledge the bath but insist it was non-sexual, following Ghost's medical incident, and MacInnes denies any discomfort. The dispute emerged publicly in summer 2024 ahead of The Deb's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, when Wilson posted an Instagram video accusing producers of inappropriate behavior toward the lead actress. The feel-good film about outback teens at a debutante ball released in Australia earlier this month but lacks a U.S. distributor. Separately in California, Wilson is appealing a court's rejection of her anti-SLAPP motion against a defamation suit from Ghost, her husband Gregor Cameron, and producer Vince Holden. They accuse Wilson of lying and bullying after being denied a writing credit. At this week's appeal hearing, Wilson's attorney Allyson Thompson called the Instagram video a product of a heated moment, with hyperbolic and vague claims. Thompson asked, “When is the last time you took a bath or shower with your boss?” She added, “My client found that to be inappropriate.”
