Rebel Wilson Breaks Her Silence After ‘Deb’ Costar Sued for Reporting Alleged Sexual Harassment

Rebel Wilson is speaking out once more about the controversy surrounding her directorial debut The Deb, and breaking her silence on her reaction to lead star Charlotte MacInnes suing her, after Wilson alleged MacInnes was sexually harassed on set.

During an appearance on 60 Minutes Australia on Sunday, Nov. 23, the actress, 45, looked back at her decision to report the alleged wrongdoings, stating, “I felt that in my position as director, I had to report that. And the moment I did, [it] started all the kind of retaliation against me.”

Wilson has been engaged in a legal battle with The Deb producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden since July 2024. It began when the Pitch Perfect alum claimed the trio was attempting to prevent The Deb from world premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, and she also accused the producers in an Instagram video of “bad behavior” on the movie’s set. (Ghost, Cameron and Holden later filed a defamation suit against Wilson, kicking off the bitter legal back-and-forth.)

Attorneys for Wilson subsequently filed a countersuit against the trio and multiple production companies associated with The Deb in October 2024, alleging that the three producers’ conduct on set “was marked by a troubling pattern of egregious and illicit behaviors, including theft, bullying.” Wilson’s counter-complaint also alleged that Ghost sexually harassed The Deb’s lead actress, later revealed to be MacInnes, which allegedly caused her “to suffer a breakdown.”

However, MacInnes later filed a declaration in court back in August, per The Guardian, stating that Wilson fabricated the claims, describing them as “completely false and absurd.”

According to 60 Minutes Australia, producer Ghost said she had a medical reaction to cold water during production, which prompted MacInnes and an assistant to take her to her nearby home, where both MacInnes and Ghost allegedly warmed up in the hot water together.

Recalling the aftermath of the situation, Wilson claimed that MacInnes came to her and allegedly told her: “Amanda Ghost asked me to [take] a bath and shower with her, and it made me feel really uncomfortable.”

As she was pressed by journalist 60 Minutes Australia Tara Brown to confirm there was “no doubt” that MacInnes came to her and “used those words,” Wilson said she was “100%” sure, adding, “She told me she was uncomfortable, yeah.”

“She came to me, she made what I obviously inferred as a sexual harassment complaint, and I had a duty to then act on it,” the actress continued.

As Brown then presented alleged texts between Wilson and Ghost on 60 Minutes Australia, in which Wilson stated that she spoke with MacInnes after the shower incident and the young star reportedly told her she was “all good,” the mom of one reacted, “How I would describe those texts, is I’m trying to maintain professional communication with Amanda Ghost — she’s the producer, she’s the access to the money for the film. This is weeks before we start shooting the movie, and I’m trying to keep a very professional communication, but at the same time I’m feeling very uneasy.”

When Brown asked Wilson why she doesn’t believe MacInnes’ alleged backtracking of her claims against Ghost, Wilson told 60 Minutes Australia, “I think, when it gets into the details in court, I don’t think anyone in their right mind believes that a medical incident occurred and Amanda Ghost needed the body warmth of an actress to save her life. It’s just not credible.”

MacInnes did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, nor did legal representation for Ghost.

Elsewhere during the broadcast, Wilson recalled when things started to go wrong while working on the project.

“A whole ton of things went on, including something massive … me and local producers being locked in a room and forced to sign documents,” Wilson said.

“At the time, I said, ‘What is this? This is like the KBG,’ ” she continued, referring to the Soviet Union’s security and intelligence agency.

Then recalling how she was told that the movie was being canceled and “everyone will be out of a job,” Wilson claimed the “drama all stemmed from the U.K. producers on the film,” alleging, “I was, kind of, the target of this incessant bullying and harassment because I’d spoken out about the behavior of these U.K. producers.”

When asked by Brown on 60 Minutes Australia if she sees the actions she has taken amid the drama surrounding The Deb as bullying, Wilson said, “No, I see that as, like, standing up for my movie and the hard work that everyone put into it for years.”

As for the overall scope of the drama surrounding the project, the star added, “I think it’s wild it’s gotten to this point. I think it’s a ridiculous waste of the Australian legal system.”

“[MacInnes] reported something to me, I acted on it, in my position as the director of the movie, [and] I had an ethical, moral responsibility to do that,” she continued.

Brown also pressed Wilson about claims she previously made about MacInnes — that the star had backtracked on her previous statements for career advancement.

“I do think it’s undeniable,” Wilson responded. “I believe her only work since filming The Deb was in a stage show that Amanda Ghost produced. [And] despite Oscar and Tony-nominated performers auditioning for the role, it gets given to an unknown Australian?”

When Brown pressed if she didn’t believe MacInnes was deserving based on her talent, Wilson pushed back, “I think she’s talented, which is why I cast her in the movie … but I guess it’s undeniable the benefits she has received since finishing the film.”

MacInnes’ prior complaint featured a statement from her legal team, stating that the actress “has strenuously and repeatedly denied that she was a victim of sexual assault, prompting Wilson to accuse her on Instagram of lying in exchange for favors (e.g. being awarded the lead role in Gatsby).”

“Wilson has continued to publicly spread these accusations, prompting today’s legal notice,” the statement continued at the time, adding that Wilson “will have 28 days to respond to the Notice, including offering amends — such as a correction or apology — before formal legal action.”

MacInnes’ legal team also slammed any claims that she “falsely changed her story that Amanda Ghost had made unwanted sexual advances to her and sexually harassed her.”

“The imputations are false and seriously defamatory of Ms MacInnes,” they wrote, reiterating a previously shared statement from MacInnes: “There is no truth to the allegations made involving me. I made a statement to the film team when this was first said in September 2023 and am saying this now to draw a line under it. Making false accusations undermines real victims, and I won’t be the subject of a fabricated narrative.”

The Deb is an Australia-set musical about a high school outcast (Natalie Abbott) who is determined to redefine herself at her small town’s Debutante Ball, or “the Deb,” as it’s known to locals.

The film is set to be released in Australia and New Zealand on Jan. 15, 2026, but a worldwide release date has yet to be set.