May 21, 2025 : Actress and first-time director Rebel Wilson has responded to the backlash surrounding social media posts linked to her upcoming film The Deb, which remains unreleased due to ongoing legal disputes.
The controversy reignited after a video surfaced showing The Deb star Charlotte MacInnes singing aboard a luxury yacht at Cannes, owned by financier Len Blavatnik. The official Instagram account for The Deb — reportedly controlled by Wilson — posted critical Stories calling out MacInnes for wearing a “culturally inappropriate Indian outfit” and performing a song from a film “that will never get released because of her lies.”
Another post aimed at MacInnes read:
“So glad you got your record deal, Charlotte, at the expense of the 300 people who worked on The Deb and really wanna see it released.”
Wilson’s team issued a statement via The Hollywood Reporter to clarify her position:
“The entire Deb crew is looking forward for the film to finally be shown to the world. Rebel is so proud of this film and in awe of all of the hard work everyone involved put into the creation of her directorial debut.”
This isn’t the first time Wilson has taken her grievances public. She previously accused producers Amanda Ghost, Gregory Cameron, and Vince Holden of embezzlement and sexual harassment, and alleged they blocked The Deb from premiering at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
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Following her claims, the producers filed a defamation lawsuit against Wilson, which she countered, alleging they were preventing her from receiving a proper writing credit.
The Deb, based on the 2022 Australian stage musical, stars Natalie Abbott as a high school outcast who teams up with her city-slicker cousin (MacInnes) to disrupt a conservative debutante ball. The film marks Wilson’s feature directorial debut, with a screenplay by Hannah Reilly.
While the film remains legally tied up, fans and crew await its release amid growing drama off-screen.