Charlotte MacInnes told a federal court she never complained to Rebel Wilson about feeling uncomfortable after bathing with producer Amanda Ghost, directly contradicting the Instagram posts that sparked her defamation lawsuit. The actor, who played the lead in Wilson’s directorial debut The Deb, said she assisted Ghost back to their shared Bondi apartment after the producer suffered a medical episode while swimming on 5 September 2023 and only suggested a bath to warm her up.
MacInnes said she ran a shower for Ghost before they both entered the tub in their swimsuits, describing the incident as innocent and saying Wilson later exploited and mischaracterised it. She denied ever telling Wilson that Ghost had asked her to bathe together or that it made her uncomfortable, as alleged in the social media posts that led to the legal battle.
The dispute centres on Wilson’s 2024 Instagram post suggesting MacInnes had retracted a harassment complaint in exchange for a lead role in a stage production called GATSBY and a record deal. MacInnes’s lawyers argued the posts amounted to a malignant allegation that she traded sexual favours for career advancement, damaging her reputation in the industry.
Wilson’s legal team challenged the omission of bath details in MacInnes’s initial statement
Rebel Wilson’s barrister, Dauid Sibtain SC, pointed out that MacInnes did not mention sharing the bath with Ghost in her original account to the director, something she later acknowledged. He suggested this omission made her statement false or at least highly misleading.
MacInnes rejected that interpretation, maintaining she never told Wilson the producer had requested the bath or that it caused discomfort. She said the omission did not equate to dishonesty, especially since she had since clarified the details under oath.
The court heard that Ghost had stopped speaking to MacInnes after Wilson relayed the alleged complaint, leaving the actor deeply distressed and worried about her career prospects. Despite the fallout, MacInnes acknowledged Ghost had provided significant support during The Deb’s production, including feedback, networking opportunities, and invitations to super yachts and private jets.
The case reflects a broader trend of showbiz defamation hearings migrating to Australia’s Federal Court
Over the past decade, the Federal Court in Sydney has become a preferred venue for defamation claims involving entertainment and political figures, a shift noted by legal commentators observing the livestream of the proceedings before Justice Elizabeth Raper in Court 21A.
This pattern echoes Wilson’s prior defamation victory in 2017, when she successfully sued Woman’s Day magazine in Victoria’s Supreme Court over false claims about her weight loss journey.
The Deb, which faced multiple delays and legal hurdles, finally opened in Australian cinemas earlier this month, adding commercial pressure to the ongoing litigation. MacInnes said she had prioritised time with Ghost over a theatre invitation from Wilson in May 2023, four months before the bath incident, a decision highlighted by text messages showing her apology for missing the event.
Anonymous third-party websites amplified the reputational harm, according to MacInnes’s counsel
Sue Chrysanthou SC, representing MacInnes, argued Wilson had, through legal counsel, commissioned third parties to publish anonymous claims targeting Amanda Ghost, which indirectly labelled MacInnes as someone who traded sexual favours for film roles.
Chrysanthou said this tactic exacerbated the damage, framing MacInnes not just as a liar but as a participant in a quid-pro-quo system that undermined her professional integrity in the eyes of industry peers.
The actor said she felt her dreams were coming true when performing on super yachts and flying in private jets — opportunities she partly attributed to Ghost’s mentorship — making the alleged reputational harm sense like a betrayal of that support.
What exactly did Rebel Wilson claim in her Instagram post?
Wilson wrote that MacInnes had been employed by the producer in a lead role for a production called GATSBY and given a record deal, which she framed as proof the actor had changed her story about the bath incident for career gain.
Did the court accept Wilson’s argument that MacInnes’s omission of bath details made her statement false?
MacInnes rejected the claim that omitting the bath detail rendered her statement false or misleading, insisting she never told Wilson the producer had requested the shared bath or that it caused discomfort.
How has The Deb’s release timeline affected the legal proceedings?
The film opened in Australian cinemas earlier this month after lengthy delays and legal battles, adding commercial stakes to the defamation case as both parties navigate its public reception amid ongoing litigation.