Rebel Wilson spoke out after an Australian newspaper admitted they threatened to expose her new relationship before she planned on coming out to the public.
As you may recall, the 42-year-old actress revealed on Instagram Thursday that she is dating fashion designer Ramona Agruma, writing at the time:
“I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess #loveislove”
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However, it turns out she was actually pressured into sharing her new relationship. Days after the announcement, The Sydney Morning Herald published an opinion piece by journalist Andrew Hornery who revealed they gave Rebel a two-day deadline to give a comment before they would report about her new romance with Ramona. He said in the article:
“So, it was with an abundance of caution and respect that this media outlet emailed Rebel Wilson’s representatives on Thursday morning, giving her two days to comment on her new relationship with LA leisure wear designer Ramona Agruma, before publishing a single word. Big mistake. Wilson opted to gazump the story, posting about her new “Disney Princess” on Instagram early Friday morning, the same platform she had previously used to brag about her handsome ex-boyfriend, wealthy American beer baron Jacob Busch.”
WTF?! Social media users immediately slammed Hornery and the publication for attempting to out the Pitch Perfect star, including journalist Kate Doak who tweeted:
“So apparently it wasn’t @RebelWilson’s choice to come out… The @smh/@theage have admitted to giving her a heads up 2 days in advance that they were going to ‘out’ her.”
Rebel has since addressed the difficult position The Sydney Morning Herald put her in, replying to the post:
“Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace.”
Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace ????
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) June 12, 2022
However, editor Bevan Shields is denying that the newspaper tried to out the comedian in a statement on Sunday. He said:
“Our weekly Private Sydney celebrity column last week asked Wilson if she wished to comment about her new partner. We would have asked the same questions had Wilson’s new partner been a man. To say that the Herald ‘outed’ Wilson is wrong. Like other mastheads do every day, we simply asked questions and as standard practice included a deadline for a response. I had made no decision about whether or what to publish, and the Herald’s decision about what to do would have been informed by any response Wilson supplied. Wilson made the decision to publicly disclose her new partner – who had been a feature of her social media accounts for months.”
We are sending so much love to Rebel and Ramona. Reactions to this terrible situation?
[Image via MEGA/WENN]