Rebel Wilson just turned a defamation lawsuit into a blockbuster comedy. Earlier this week, the 44-year-old superstar, set to make her directorial debut with “The Deb,” found herself in a legal spat worthy of its own movie. The plot twist? The producers of her film slapped her with a defamation suit after she accused them of… wait for it… misconduct and embezzlement. Cue dramatic music!
Rebel, never one to shy away from drama (or comedy), also claimed the producers were blocking her movie from premiering at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Talk about a buzzkill!
The producers, clearly not fans of plot twists, denied everything faster than a soap opera villain. According to Variety, they claimed that Rebel was trying to hold the film hostage over screenwriting and musical credits. Picture Rebel in a pirate hat, yelling, “Arrr, this film be mine!”
In their lawsuit, they accused Rebel of unprofessional conduct. The horror! Allegedly, she vanished from the set like a magician in a puff of glitter and threatened to unleash her 11 million Instagram followers on the financiers. Imagine the chaos: millions of Rebel fans armed with hashtags and memes!
But on Friday (July 13), Rebel wasn’t having any of it. She took to Instagram to deliver a virtual mic drop.
“It’s not defamation if it’s the TRUTH,” she wrote, probably with the same intensity she brings to her comedy routines. She called out the “producers” (yes, with quotation marks) for filing what she called a rubbish defamation suit. “Let our cool movie play at Toronto and stop messing about!” she demanded, clearly channeling her inner diva.
She then flooded her Instagram Story with behind-the-scenes footage. Imagine a reel of Rebel dancing with her cast and crew, courtesy of the film’s brilliant cinematographer Ross Emery. It’s like the end of a rom-com where everyone dances, but with more lawsuits.
In one story, she raged against the “f–kwit producers” (her words, not ours). She declared, “The cast & crew are with me and want this movie to premiere at Toronto!” Because nothing says unity like a dance party and a shared enemy.
Rebel didn’t stop there. She pointed out that she has about 200 witnesses to back her up, making her sound like the ringleader of the coolest circus ever. “So good luck, f–kwit producers, trying to prove anything other than I’m a professional who did an amazing job as a first-time female director!” she added, probably while dropping an imaginary mic.
She signed off with, “Good luck! Love to my brilliant cast & crew who know the truth. And it’s not defamation if it’s the truth!” Rebel Wilson, ladies and gentlemen: comedian, director, and now, defamation warrior. Stay tuned for the next episode of “As The Deb Turns.”
