Rebel Wilson Preps for Defamation Suit Over Articles Calling Her a ‘Serial Liar’
Aussie actress Rebel Wilson has returned to her homeland for a visit, but it’s not a social call. The Pitch Perfect star is preparing for a defamation trial against Bauer Media, publisher of magazines including Woman’s Day and OK! magazine, over some articles that claimed Wilson is a “serial liar.”
Wilson, 37, addressed a gaggle of press assembled outside the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne following her first appearance after filing suit against Bauer. “I just want to say … I mean, I would love to sit here and spend, like, three hours telling my side of the story, because I haven’t been able to say anything because of the legal proceedings,” she shared. “But it’s so good to be here.”
So why is Wilson suing? Court documents say a handful of articles branded her a “serial liar who has invented fantastic stories in order to make it in Hollywood.” Some of those supposed lies include charges that Wilson lied about her age and her name and made false claims about her upbringing.
This may all seem frivolous, as it’s hardly an anomaly for an actress to lie about her age, use a stage name, and even change aspects of her origin story to protect herself. But according to Wilson, the allegations made in the Bauer articles have cost her movie roles and impacted her ability to secure work.
Though Wilson is looking forward to getting the trial started, she wasn’t able to elaborate on what her evidence is or how she plans to discredit Bauer’s claims. “Unfortunately, the judge said that I can’t say anything until I start giving my evidence on Monday, which is not that long to wait, so you’ll hear everything I have to say,” she said. “It’ll probably take a few days to give all my evidence. I just think it’s really important that the truth comes out in this matter, and I’m excited to get started with it finally.”
Wilson has been so dedicated to proving her side of the story that she told press she has not auditioned for anything over the past year so she could focus on gathering her evidence for the trial and being available for her court date.
In the meantime, Wilson plans to enjoy her time in Melbourne leading up to the start of her trial on Monday.
“I used to live in Melbourne. It’s really good to be here,” she said. “I’m going to have a great weekend before the trial starts on Monday, catching up on all my favorite restaurants and stuff.”
And she also has some family celebrations to look forward to.
“It’s my grandpa’s 90th birthday as well this coming weekend, so I’m kind of doing double duty in a way,” she revealed. “I come and do this, and I get to see him, which is really great.”
For its part, Bauer Media reportedly didn’t contact Wilson for verification before publishing the articles, which came out around the time Pitch Perfect 2 was released. The company denies any wrongdoing, of course. But we’ll soon find out if that’s true once Wilson presents her case.
Good luck, Rebel!
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