Rebel Wilson wins defamation case brought by The Deb co-star

Rebel Wilson has been cleared of defamation in a legal dispute brought against her by Charlotte MacInnes, a young actress who appeared in Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb. The decision, handed down on Wednesday by the Federal Court, marks the conclusion of a trial that scrutinised social media commentary and private interactions within the film's production team.

Justice Elizabeth Raper dismissed the case, concluding that the claims made by Wilson did not reach the legal threshold required to establish serious harm. Furthermore, the court determined that the imputation—that MacInnes had altered her account of a specific incident to benefit her own career—did not constitute defamation. Consequently, the court ordered MacInnes to cover Wilson’s legal costs.

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The conflict originated from Instagram posts published by Wilson between 2024 and 2025. MacInnes contended that these posts falsely suggested she had fabricated a sexual harassment complaint to advance her professional standing, arguing that the public remarks resulted in online harassment and damage to her career prospects. In her defence, Wilson maintained the veracity of her statements, telling the court during the proceedings that she is known as a truth-teller and was simply relaying events as she understood them.

Central to the court proceedings was an occurrence in September 2023 involving MacInnes and Amanda Ghost, a producer on The Deb. Following a swim at Bondi Beach, Ghost experienced a physical reaction to cold water, which led the pair to retreat to a luxury apartment rented by the production. The court heard that the two individuals entered a bath while wearing swimsuits to warm up. Addressing the unusual nature of this event, Justice Raper noted in her statement:

"To say that the circumstances surrounding how they came to be in the bath are unusual would be an understatement."

Disagreement persisted throughout the trial regarding the nature of that encounter. Wilson claimed that MacInnes had previously described the situation as making her feel uncomfortable, a sentiment Wilson sought to address with Ghost. However, the court was presented with a text message sent by Wilson to Ghost after speaking with MacInnes, in which Wilson wrote: Charlotte says all good. She just meant 'it was a bizarre situation' not that she felt personally uncomfortable.

Legal representatives for MacInnes took a starkly different view of the actress’s credibility. During closing arguments in May, barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC labelled Wilson a fantastical liar and alleged that the film star had concocted unfounded claims about multiple individuals. Counsel for MacInnes also argued that Wilson had commissioned a smear website to target Ghost, an allegation that Wilson categorically denied.

Wilson’s legal team countered the claims of reputational damage by highlighting that MacInnes, who graduated from acting school in 2021, had recently secured a new record deal, suggesting that her career trajectory remained unaffected by the social media activity. The court ultimately found that MacInnes failed to provide sufficient evidence that the posts had caused, or were likely to cause, serious harm.

Following the ruling, Wilson utilised social media to express her perspective on the outcome. In an Instagram post, she thanked the judge and the Australian legal system, describing the result as a substantial win and stating her desire to move forward from the ordeal:

"This process has taught me a lot. It has tested me, but it has also reinforced something I’ve always believed. I want to live my life standing up for what I believe is right, while continuing to create work that brings people joy."

This case is situated within a broader series of legal complications involving the production of The Deb, which has included various allegations and counterclaims between Wilson and the film’s producers. Wilson is no stranger to such courtroom battles, having previously secured a victory in a 2017 defamation case against Bauer Media. That landmark ruling addressed magazine content that claimed the actress had been dishonest about her personal background, though the awarded damages were later adjusted upon appeal.