Source : Perth Now news
Previously unseen texts show A-lister Rebel Wilson was involved in creating a smear website that alleged her co-producer was a sex trafficker, a court has been told.
The Pitch Perfect star directed, co-produced and starred in The Deb, a musical comedy that became the battleground for multiple legal battles in Australia and the US.
She opted to dial in to the NSW Supreme Court on Monday for the second week of her spat with her co-producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden.
Wilson is accused of breaching contracts and consumer law when making allegedly defamatory statements about the trio online in July 2024, including accusing them of inappropriate conduct towards lead actor Charlotte MacInnes.
Texts show Wilson was involved in drafting the content on a website that described Ms Ghost as an “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell” who “trades pleasure for protection”, the producers’ barrister claimed.
Sue Chrysanthou SC said the messages were recently disclosed in the US litigation by Melissa Nathan, the boss of a crisis management firm allegedly engaged by Wilson.
According to the texts read out in court, Ms Nathan informed the Bridesmaids star it would be $110,000 for an untraceable site, ghost server and hosting, and algorithmic push.
Wilson then asked if that was the total price and confirmed she had set up an account on the encrypted platform Signal, which Ms Nathan had suggested to discuss “sensitive information”, the texts state.
The messages – including any discussions on Signal – had not been produced by Wilson and there had been no explanation as to why not, Ms Chrysanthou told the court.
She said the messages showed the first-time director followed up with Ms Nathan to see whether she had received the website content because she had not been invoiced.
Ms Nathan responded, saying it would be live soon, according to the texts.
“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,” Ms Chrysanthou said.
“On 6 August, Ms Wilson drafted the content of the website from Australia and sent it to Ms Nathan (who passed it on).”
In her Federal Court proceedings earlier in 2026, the Hollywood star repeatedly denied engaging the firm or authoring the document that would form the basis for the smear website.
She insisted her US lawyer had engaged the PR firm and said anyone could have used her company Camp Sugar’s name to draft the document.
Ms Chrysanthou took issue with a previously undisclosed email in which Wilson allegedly recorded a complaint made to her by MacInnes about Ms Ghost.
Wilson has alleged Ms MacInnes confided – and later retracted – that she felt uncomfortable because Ms Ghost had asked her to have a bath and a shower together.
MacInnes has denied making a complaint, insisting she had not been uncomfortable when she and Ms Ghost shared a bath in their swimwear after the producer suffered a medical episode in September 2023.
“This is a file note about a very specific and serious allegation. Apparently,” Ms Chrysanthou said.
“This document has never been seen or referred to before.”
She urged Justice Elisabeth Peden not to consider the email, which she said would be unfairly prejudicial to MacInnes and would require valuable court time to authenticate.
“This email flies in the face of everything we know about this case,” Ms Chrysanthou said.
“It makes no sense that it exists.”
Wilson’s barrister Dauid Sibtain SC pushed for the inclusion of the email, which he said an expert had determined was unaltered.
A probe into Wilson’s email account was suggested before Justice Peden ultimately declined to accept the email.
Wilson will not give evidence in the NSW Supreme Court.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
