Rebel Wilson fires back in explosive trial showdown

Rebel Wilson has denied accusations she deliberately dumped her phone to hide evidence.

The Pitch Perfect actress is being sued by Charlotte Maclnnes, the lead in Wilson's directorial debut The Deb, alleging that she was defamed in social media posts portraying her as dishonest about a sexual assault claim.

During her appearance in the court, Wilson rejected suggestions that she dumped her phone to avoid handing over key messages, calling the claim "absolutely outrageous."

Wilson maintained her phone had been stolen in London, admitting that some conversations were lost due to lack of backup.

On Wednesday, court heard Wilson believes Maclnnes had confided discomfort over alleged incident involving co-producer Amanda Ghost in 2023. She said, "I was pretty shocked by it."

"I took it as a sexual harassment complaint," Wilson added.

On the other hand, Rebel Wilson was also questioned about the text exchange she had with Maclnnes in May 2023. Notably, Maclnnes blamed wi-fi for her not responding to Wilson's message and apologizing next day.

However, the actress said in the message, "In the future, it is terribly rude to say you wanted a ticket to a show and then you don’t reply or follow up … not a great start to our working relationship," to which Maclnnes' lawyer suggested that it was inappropriate and bullying.

Wilson rejected the suggestion, saying, "I don’t regard one text message as bullying."

Rebel Wilson's directorial debut The Deb is based on 2022 stage musical by Hannah Reilly and Megan Washington. The film premiered as the closing night selection of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 15, 2024.