Rebel Wilson Accused of Orchestrating Smear Website in Legal Dispute
Bombshell texts presented in an Australian court suggest the actress was involved in creating defamatory content targeting her film's producers.
Bombshell text messages have surfaced in the ongoing legal battle between actress Rebel Wilson and the producers of her film "The Deb," alleging Wilson was involved in creating a smear website that accused a co-producer of being a sex trafficker.
Wilson, who directed, co-produced, and starred in the musical comedy "The Deb," is facing a legal dispute with her co-producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden. The producers accuse Wilson of breaching contracts and consumer law by making allegedly defamatory statements about them online in July 2024, including claims of inappropriate conduct toward lead actor Charlotte MacInnes.
During the second week of the proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court, the producers' barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, presented texts that allegedly show Wilson drafting content for a website. According to the barrister, the messages described Ms. Ghost as an "Indian Ghislaine Maxwell" who "trades pleasure for protection."
These messages were reportedly disclosed in U.S. litigation by Melissa Nathan, the head of a crisis management firm allegedly hired by Wilson. Texts presented in court indicated that Nathan informed Wilson it would cost $110,000 for an untraceable website, ghost server, hosting, and algorithmic push. Wilson then inquired about the total price and confirmed she had set up an account on the encrypted platform Signal, which Nathan had recommended for discussing sensitive information.
Chrysanthou told the court that these messages, including any discussions on Signal, had not been produced by Wilson and that no explanation had been offered for their absence. The barrister stated that the messages indicated Wilson followed up with Nathan to check if she had received the website content, as she had not yet been invoiced.
"We say this proves that they agreed from those first texts on August 5 that Ms. Wilson would pay $110,000 for an untraceable website," Chrysanthou said. "On August 6, Ms. Wilson drafted the content of the website from Australia and sent it to Ms. Nathan (who passed it on)."
Earlier in 2026, in Federal Court proceedings, Wilson had repeatedly denied engaging the firm or authoring the document that would form the basis of the smear website. She contended that her U.S. lawyer had engaged the PR firm and that anyone could have used her company, Camp Sugar's, name to draft the document.
Chrysanthou also raised concerns about a previously undisclosed email in which Wilson allegedly recorded a complaint made to her by MacInnes about Ghost. Wilson has claimed that MacInnes confided that she felt uncomfortable because Ghost had asked her to share a bath and shower. MacInnes has denied making such a complaint, asserting she was not uncomfortable sharing a bath in swimwear with Ghost after the producer experienced a medical episode in September 2023.
"This is a file note about a very specific and serious allegation. Apparently," Chrysanthou stated, referring to the email. "This document has never been seen or referred to before." The barrister urged Justice Elisabeth Peden not to consider the email, arguing it would be unfairly prejudicial to MacInnes and would consume valuable court time to authenticate, adding, "This email flies in the face of everything we know about this case. It makes no sense that it exists."
Wilson's barrister, Dauid Sibtain SC, pushed for the email's inclusion, stating that an expert had determined it was unaltered. A probe into Wilson's email account was suggested before Justice Peden ultimately declined to accept the email. Wilson is not expected to give evidence in the NSW Supreme Court proceedings.
