Rebel Wilson Cleared Of Defamation Of ‘The Deb’ Star Charlotte MacInnes
Image: AAP Graphics/Susie Dodds
Rebel Wilson has been cleared of defamation, with the Federal Court ruling that the Australian actor did not unlawfully defame The Deb star Charlotte MacInnes in a bitter legal dispute that became one of the most biggest Australian legal cases this year.
Justice Elizabeth Raper handed down her judgment in Sydney today (July 22), finding in Wilson’s favour after MacInnes alleged she had been defamed by a series of Instagram posts made throughout 2024 and 2025 during the increasingly public fallout surrounding Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb.
The decision brings to an end one chapter of the long-running legal saga surrounding the musical film, which has been plagued by disputes between Wilson and several producers, delaying its release and spawning multiple court cases across Australia and the United States.
At the centre of the case was an incident that allegedly took place during filming in September 2023.
MacInnes, who stars in The Deb, had accompanied producer Amanda Ghost back to her Bondi apartment after Ghost experienced a reaction following a swim at Bondi Beach. The pair later shared a bath while wearing swimsuits to warm up. Wilson has consistently maintained that MacInnes later told her she felt uncomfortable about the incident before subsequently withdrawing those concerns because of the potential impact on her career. MacInnes has always denied making any such complaint or feeling uncomfortable.
Those conflicting accounts became the basis of Wilson’s social media posts, in which she accused MacInnes of changing her story and lying. MacInnes argued the posts damaged her reputation and portrayed her as someone willing to abandon allegations of misconduct in exchange for career opportunities. She also faced allegations she had secured a recording contract and a role in a stage production of The Great Gatsby.
The trial, which ran for two weeks earlier this year, heard evidence from Wilson over three days, alongside testimony from MacInnes, film producers and public relations representatives connected to Wilson’s crisis communications team.
“[Wilson] is a fantastical liar who has made up terrible, terrible allegations against multiple people, and her own witnesses have discredited her,” MacInnes’ barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC told the court in May.
During cross-examination, Wilson rejected suggestions that she had acted out of self-interest, instead describing herself as a “champion of women” and a “truth teller”.
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