Actress Rebel Wilson has been accused of using the U.S. court system to “intimidate and harass” the star of her directorial debut, The Deb.
Wilson, 45, is trying to countersue The Deb star Charlotte MacInnes, 26, in a California court, where her legal costs cannot be recovered. MacInnes’ lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou, accused Wilson of using the favorable U.S. court system to “harass and intimidate” MacInnes over two different defamation lawsuits MacInnes and the producers of The Deb have filed against Wilson.
If this sounds incredibly messy, that’s because it is. The Deb has become the center of a thorny legal battle where it seems like everyone involved is suing everyone else involved and everyone is accusing everybody else of trying to sabotage the film’s release.
Wilson publicly accused the producers of the film—Vince Holden, Amanda Ghost, and Gregor Cameron—of sexual harassment and embezzlement last year. MacInnes herself called these claims “false and absurd.”
At the time, a spokesperson for the producers said, “[Wilson’s] allegations are false, defamatory, and disappointing. Her self-promotional claims are clearly intended to cause reputational harm to the individuals who have supported her directorial debut film The Deb."
The U.K.-based studio AI film, representing the producers, sued Wilson for defamation in Los Angeles.
Wilson alleges that MacInnes was complicit in covering up alleged abuses of Amanda Ghost, who Wilson has described as an “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell,” in exchange for a lead role and a record deal. MacInnes has repeatedly denied this claim. She filed her own defamation lawsuit against Wilson in September.
Should Wilson’s countersuit be allowed to proceed in California, MacInnes would get embroiled in a costly legal battle where she’d likely have to answer questions on whether she was incentivized to withdraw allegations of sexual misconduct from producers of The Deb.
Chrysanthou called Wilson’s tactic “plainly scandalous and vexatious,” arguing that the matter be settled in New South Wales, where the movie was filmed. She also argues that Wilson previously agreed to settle these disputes in New South Wales.
AI film and the producers are also suing Wilson and her company Camp Sugar in New South Wales for allegedly breaking several contracts.
The confusing and escalating legal battles between Wilson, MacInnes and The Deb‘s producers surrounds a movie that won’t see a global release until January 2026. Even so, all the hullaballoo might not be worth it for a film that isn’t getting good reviews.
