A publicist who worked with actress Rebel Wilson has testified that she assisted in developing an attack website targeting a producer amid the actress’ ongoing legal feud, according to documents filed in a California court. Wilson faces multiple defamation lawsuits in both Australia and the U.S. from actress Charlotte MacInnes, 25, from Western Australia, and British producer Amanda Ghost. The cases stem from Wilson’s July 2024 Instagram posts accusing Ghost of “inappropriate behavior” and embezzling funds during production of The Deb, Wilson’s directorial debut, which remains unreleased.
The dispute traces back to 2023, when Wilson alleged Ghost engaged in inappropriate conduct, including bathing with lead actress MacInnes. Wilson raised concerns, which escalated into claims of a sexual harassment cover-up, bullying, and the misappropriation of approximately AUD $900,000 from the film’s $22 million budget by Ghost, her husband Gregor Cameron, and executive producer Vince Holden.
A key issue involved screenplay credits. Wilson sought shared credit with Hannah Reilly but received only an “additional writing by” designation. She also claimed producers reneged on promises regarding music deals and soundtrack rights. Producers maintained that Wilson was dissatisfied with a decision by the Australian Writers’ Guild and responded with public accusations on social media, prompting lawsuits in Los Angeles and Australia.
In filings before Justice Thomas Long in California District Court, Katherine Case, a vice president at The Agency Group, testified that Wilson was involved in a plan to create smear websites against Ghost. During a March 5 deposition with Samuel Moniz, Ghost’s attorney, Case recounted instructions from her superior, Melissa Nathan: “Rebel wants one of those sites.” Case responded, “Okay.” Nathan specified incorporating a document compiled by intern Carolina, a voice note, and additional material.
Case confirmed Nathan sent her a Microsoft Word file titled “Amanda Ghost website.doc,” and she returned an edited version stating, “This website is dedicated to telling the world the truth about Amanda Ghost who has maliciously tried to destroy the lives of countless artists. She is the Indian Ghislaine Maxwell, whose only friend in the world appears to be convicted felon Boy George.” The phrase targeted Ghost’s South Asian heritage and likened her to Ghislaine Maxwell. It also formed part of content for sites including amandaghost.com and amandaghostsucks.com.
Wilson has countersued Ghost for breach of contract and fraud. The litigation now involves numerous parties across multiple jurisdictions. Her October 2024 cross-complaint included hyperlinks to the websites in question. Wilson denies orchestrating the sites. Redacted testimony from Nathan supports this, indicating Wilson did not request their creation. Wilson has accused Ghost’s U.K.-based AI Film of sabotaging The Deb‘s release, resulting in financial and reputational harm.
On March 10, Camille Vasquez, a partner at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton representing Ghost, stated, “Rebel Wilson has repeatedly denied any involvement in the creation of the smear websites – not just in television but in her sworn legal testimony. We, however, had long suspected that she not only contributed to the malicious sites but that she was the driving force behind them. The evidence we have submitted to the court in California today supports that conclusion.”
Vasquez, who represented Johnny Depp in his high-profile defamation trial, has emphasized racist and defamatory terms like “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell” in court. The sites also referenced Ghost’s tenure at Epic Records and associations with Boy George. Leaked audio, obtained through litigation discovery, captures Wilson’s PR team, including digital strategist Jed Wallace and Nathan, discussing tactics to portray Ghost as a “madame” or sex trafficker. It seems like an open and shut case.
In a related Australian defamation case filed by MacInnes, Federal Court Justice Elizabeth Raper ruled on March 6 that the matter will remain in Federal Court. Wilson’s counsel noted a potential scheduling conflict for an April hearing due to her wife’s impending childbirth. The case underscores tensions in Hollywood’s PR practices, with allegations of racially charged rhetoric and aggressive reputation management tactics drawing scrutiny to firms like The Agency Group.
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