Last Thursday, Rebel Wilson came out on her Instagram. She posted a photo of herself and Ramona Agruma, the woman she’s been seeing for months. Positive stories appeared in People Magazine about Rebel and Ramona, with sources saying that they’re very serious about one another and they’ve been dating since January and Rebel has never been happier. Now, Rebel’s coming out on Instagram was a surprise, but I think we all hoped Rebel did it because she was happy, right? Turns out, Rebel only came out because she was being threatened and harassed by an Australian newspaper, which was about to out her.
Rebel Wilson’s coming out announcement is under a microscope because of what was happening BTS … including a newspaper’s attempt to force her to comment beforehand. The Aussie actress — who just revealed she’s in a relationship with a woman — responded to an outraged journalist from Down Under, who couldn’t believe what the Sydney Morning Herald seems to be admitting … namely, that they had RW over a barrel with the story.
The reporter wrote, “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.” She notes that openly gay men who work at SMH were involved too.
To that, Rebel wrote back … “Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace ❤️” In other words, she appears to be confirming this perception of an attempt to out her publicly, before she was ready to do so herself.
The article in question — which details what went into the process of trying to confirm the relationship — comes across as somewhat angry about the fact that Rebel evaded their questions, which they say they made 2 days in advance, and scooped them herself.
The author writes of the decision to ask her team for comment … “Big mistake. Wilson opted to gazump the story,” adding … “Considering how bitterly Wilson had complained about poor journalism standards when she successfully sued Woman’s Day for defamation, her choice to ignore our discreet, genuine and honest queries was, in our view, underwhelming.”
As a result, many have accused the outlet of trying to out Rebel … but one of their editors, Bevan Shields, denied that characterization in a follow-up piece — offering more context. He says, “[W]e 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.”
Shields adds, “Wilson made the decision to publicly disclose her new partner – who had been a feature of her social media accounts for months.” He says the paper wishes her well.
This situation feels like a throwback to twenty years ago – this is how the tabloid media operated back then. But everyone knows better now, there are GLAAD Media protocols for how, where and when journalists can write about someone’s sexuality or same-sex relationship. It’s not up to the SMH bitches to give Rebel an ultimatum, threatening to out her. And when she handled it herself, the SMH bitches were FURIOUS. How completely pathetic. You can see journalist Kate Doak’s Twitter thread about the situation here.
Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace 💗
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) June 12, 2022
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
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- Rebel Wilson attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones celebrating the 94th annual Academy Awards at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California,Image: 673532216, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Rebel Wilson, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, CA – MARCH 27: Rebel Wilson attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California.,Image: 674007369, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Rebel Wilson, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
Is that newspaper owned by Murdoch? He is an international disgrace.
No, it’s a Costello newspaper. Much of a muchness, though, except the Herald is usually a bit better on climate change.
Publications still do that?? I remember when Perez Hilton used to out people seems like a million years ago.
I think Perez himself said the same thing.
So gross.
Perez said what?
He retweeted a couple of tweets about his old behaviors of outing people and how gross this behavior is in 2022. I was surprised he’s self aware enough; I stopped following him 10-15 years ago because it was so gross.
@Noki Perez outed Clay Aiken he has since apologized and regretted his actions.
Am happy for Rebel – wishing her and her partner all the best. I hope she sue’s that rag.
Dan Wootton (who is also an out gay man) pulled this sh!t with Philip Scholfield (well known UK daytime TV host) who outed himself on his show after DW threatened to run a story in the Sun outing him (Scholfield confirmed this but didn’t specifically say who the journo was but everyone knew it was Dan).
He’s disgusting. He did the same to Meghan and Harry. Blackmailed them into announcing Sussexit
This is awful of that publication, and I can’t believe it’s happening in 2022. Wow.
Do you think it’s desperation on their party because they know their time is up?
Loathsome. A Murdoch publication? She looks so happy and gf is beautiful, good for them. Wish Rebel did better movies but could be those are the only type she’s offered.
The choice to use Rebel’s sexuality as some “gotcha!!!” moment was already heinous, but then that they wrote AN ENTIRE COLUMN about how they were wronged party is actually INSANE.
Also, no, not a Murdoch paper.
As bad as outing Rebel was, it was the paper taking the position of victim that really got to me and the condescension. It’s really disgusting.
That’s what was truly wild to me, that self-serving cr*p about being cheated out of a story.
The paper’s response to her putting a halt to their pathetic story is beyond outrageous! I was spitting mad (literally, lol, ask my poor cat about it). What gross, despicable behavior.
They are writing an article bragging about this? That is some next level garbage.
Can she sue the paper?
I wonder, but I’m guessing not. They gave her the warning it was going to be run and she pitted herself first. They don’t own rights to her sexuality or life so what grounds could they sue over?
The fact that the editor is essentially mocking Rebel for coming out referencing her previous boyfriend shows what trash he is. No standards at all. Special place in hell for folks like him.
This is beyond f&!ed up! I thought she’d announced because she was happy and ready to come out, and timed it for pride month too. This makes me so sad for her. I am hoping that some of our Australian posters can shed light on any backlash in local Australian media about this. Are people calling out SM Herald??
The journalism standard here are very awful so I haven’t seen a huge outcry from the press, but I have seen lots.of anger on social media.
To make matters worse, SMH are supposed to be a more moderate / left wing news paper compared to the Murdoch rags. I thought after our recent election I couldn’t be any more disappointed in our media and press, but here we are.
Two gay men decided to do this? Quelle surprise. I very much doubt they would have written this way about a man. They’re rightly getting absolutely slammed now in Australia.
Sydney Morning Herald used to be the most credible newspaper in the state but it’s been going down hill for more than a decade. Like many news organisations in the digital age, sadly! It’s also moved right politically since Nine bought Fairfax a few years back.
One of the few reputable things it has left is their investigative team, who do some amazing and serious public interest journalism work exposing real scandal, corruption, even war crimes. I read that stuff but for everything else I just read The Guardian (Australia) now.
Wtf?! That’s just… Very very low. I’m happy that RW came out but at the same time, it’s gross that she was forced into it. It’s quite upsetting… Journalism can be that toxic… Let anyone come out on their own term. Not everybody is ready…
They gave her two days…to do what exactly? Were they hoping she would deny it so they could publish whatever disgusting “proof” they had and smear her for being ashamed of her sexuality? Surely they didn’t think that she was going to allow them to out her. I feel so bad for her. Doesn’t seem like she was hiding it from those close to her, or even from Instagram if you looked close enough. She probably just wanted to stay low key about it for whatever reason, which is her right.
Two people were outed here, so maybe they both wanted to keep things low-key.
I honestly don’t know anything about her partner so wasn’t aware that she had also not come out yet. Makes everything twice as bad.
@Mina_Esq – I don’t know anything about her partner, either, or whether or not she already had come out. Rebel’s general circle knew about the relationship from the start, so it’s not like they were completely closeted. My only point is that people keep talking about Rebel and what was done to her, but there is also her partner to consider.
Hello celebitchy family, your Australian correspondent here. 😝
There has been significant backlash from people of different sexualities against the editor of the newspaper and the writer of the article. Both of whom are gay men. Please note the biphobia contained in the first article where Rebel was outed against her will. A bi person has to have extensive suffering for all of her life – meaning she has to know she is bi from childhood, or maybe teens for her sexuality to be valid. Also please note the subsequent denial that the gender of Rebel’s partner made a difference to the reveal. As a member of the LGBTQI community, I and many of us are aggrieved that members from our own community are behaving like this and endorsing it too. The newspaper in question did not post any of the subsequent responses on their Facebook. A lot of the reader responses are on Twitter and likely via email.
After the backlash the editor has now pulled back but yes this shouldn’t have happened at all. I believe because Rebel successful sued a major media company – she then lost her appeal – she is now perceived as an enemy by many of the Australian media. So it’s a mix of biphobia, salacious gossip, lack of solidarity with a woman from the same community and petty revenge which is anything but petty.
So the gay men in power who ousted her have more loyalty to their paycheck than to others who walk the same walk they have/are walking???? In the end, if they will play the card of petty revenge, where would anyone not ready to come out feel safe if those in their own community aren’t there for support????? WOW, just wow.
This always goes back to the support of white supremacy. Race traitors, gay traitors, feminism traitors, disability traitors, white people in general, etc. They all turn on their community in service of supporting powerful white supremacists who throw words of praise and pieces of silver at the traitors.
The same principle applies to voting. The traitors get pats on the heads and told they are the “good ones, not like the others” and they actually believe they are “in” with the powerful white clique (they aren’t).
The traitors desperately want approval and validation from the people in power and it’s maddening and sad to see them debase themselves for false praise/coins.
@Blue Nails Betty: As much as I appreciate a stirring political diatribe, yours makes no sense. The people “desperately want approval and validation from the people in power” are not “traitors” they don’t consider themselves part of the community in general. Where do you think all the gay republicans come from?
This was such a mess. And the editor trying to defend himself was a mess. He rightfully got ratioed to hell. They outed her. There’s no other word for it. And for people to act like she’s not really gay because she’s bisexual, go touch grass.
Or she is attracted to both men and women? Bit of a d#*k comment don’t you think?
Who actually cares who and how you love?
Why aren’t we past this?
It’s Pride time in Canada and I am so over this shit. Love is love.
I was thinking the exact same thing – it is lucky to have love in any form and it is no one else’s job (or right) to judge and attack it. How is it we are not past this kind of hostility about love, of all things?
(I am also Canadian, eh)
EXACTLY THIS (only from the USA)
Exactly, love is love.
Wow. That paper & its writers/editors are really full of themselves. What a rotten thing to do. And she did handle it with grace, she just shouldn’t have been put in that situation to start with.
Please forgive me, I’m not a Rebel-follower, but did we not already know she was bi? Clearly I’ve just been skimming the articles, but that’s because I thought this was just a new relationship, not a coming out?
I was not surprised at all by her coming out. I doubt it will hurt her career. She was never given the full first actor role but always a supporting actor. Good for her for beating the press.
Right now Rupert Murdoch is simultaneously the greatest foreign and domestic threat to America….and Britain….and Australia.
This might not be his publication but just highlighting how dangerous these large groups can be.
I wonder if SMH’s heinous treatment of Wilson is some kind of revenge for her suing another Aussie publication. The vitriol with which they published an article whining about her coming out before they could out her and then the follow up from Bevan Shields just screams some kind of grudge.
I think that’s part of it! Australia got the ‘tall poppy syndrome’ (and it’s murdochification is well established) which means the people/media loves cut you to down to size out of jealousy & habit, often under the guise of matey snarky ‘jokes’. Especial dislike if you’re a woman, not white, anything marginal or ‘woke’ or not attractive/sycophantic enough. Most Aussies don’t even understand how white, racist and sexist their media is… Murdoch is not an anomaly. Rebel Wilson isn’t liked because of her suing the media & prob because she was fat. Andrew Hornesby (bitchy older gossip writer who has outed a sex worker too) and Bevan Shields, the doubling down and unapologetic Editor, are both gay and the white gay scene can be a biphobic vicious mess – they prob don’t see Rebel as fully human in their race for views.
Let me get this clear: Abusive men were going to try to harm Rebel and her career/reputation by outing her relationship with a woman. Rebel said “eff that” and released the info herself. And now the abusive men are mad that they were scooped by a victim taking back control of her narrative and they are now claiming *they* are the victim?
So. Damn. Pathetic.
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
And I remember the comments here on the post about RW’s announcement, complaining “why do people have to label themselves?” “Why does she have to make a whole announcement?” Basically saying -while not saying – why doesn’t she just keep her business to herself… the old don’t ask don’t tell line of thinking.
Well folks, it turns out she made an announcement because if she didn’t do it right then, some jackhole dudes were going to do it for her and profit from it. Is that a good enough reason for those folks now?
I called to cancel my subscription to The Age (the Melbourne version of the SMH), and explained to the rep exactly WHY I was doing so – because I thought this was appalling behaviour and I wanted nothing to do with the paper.
She offered me 50% off for six months.
good on you. It was blackmail. Really can’t believe they are acting like they are fair minded reporters
And no this isn’t a Murdoch newspaper! The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age is actually a left-leaning woke paper so this is even more astounding that they would really blackmail someone about publicising their most personal issues