Rebel Wilson was found not to have defamed actress Charlotte MacInnes in a Sydney federal court decision on July 22, 2026. Justice Elizabeth Raper ruled the social media posts made by Wilson in 2024 and 2025 were not defamatory and that MacInnes failed to prove serious harm from the publications [1, 2, 3].
The dispute centered on Instagram posts where Wilson accused MacInnes of retracting a sexual harassment complaint to advance her career. MacInnes denied ever making or withdrawing any complaint or feeling uncomfortable about the incident alleged by Wilson [1, 2].
The events at the heart of the case date to September 2023, when 25-year-old MacInnes and 49-year-old Amanda Ghost shared a bath in swimwear after swimming at Bondi Beach. Ghost suffered an allergic reaction during the bath. Justice Raper described these circumstances as “unusual” and found the implication that MacInnes changed her story about the incident to be substantially true [1, 3].
MacInnes' barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, accused Wilson of dishonesty and fabricating allegations. Chrysanthou said Wilson was "a fantastical liar" who had made false claims discredited even by her own witnesses. Wilson denied fabricating any claims and stated she was "telling the truth" to her 11 million Instagram followers [2].
Justice Raper concluded that MacInnes failed to establish the posts caused or were likely to cause serious harm. The court ordered MacInnes to pay Wilson’s legal costs [1, 3]. Wilson thanked the judge and the Australian legal system via her Instagram account after the ruling [1, 3].
The defamation case, filed by MacInnes, was dismissed after nearly three years of public dispute following the Bondi Beach incident in 2023. No further legal steps have been announced.
