By Isobel Roe, ABC News
Rebel Wilson also gave evidence in Federal Court on Tuesday.
Photo: ABC News / Abubakr Sajid
Rebel Wilson has been accused by a lawyer of “dumping” her mobile phone to avoid handing over key text messages, amid her second day of giving evidence at her defamation trial.
The Hollywood star is being sued by the lead actor in her latest film The Deb, with Charlotte MacInnes accusing Wilson of falsifying stories about her in social media posts and a fake “take-down” website.
Wilson’s lawyers have previously told the Federal Court her phone was stolen in London in July 2025, and that she was unable to produce all of her WhatsApp message history.
Wilson took the stand for her second day of cross-examination on Wednesday, where MacInnes’s lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou SC, asked why Wilson could not produce some messages called for by the complainant.
“WhatsApp was not backed up to any iCloud and some chains of text messages, I don’t know for what reason, were not fully backed up,” Wilson told the court.
“Are you sure your phone was stolen and you didn’t just dump it in a park?” Chrysanthou asked.
Wilson’s lawyer, Dauid Sibtain SC leapt to his feet to object to the question, but Wilson answered.
Actor Charlotte MacInnes and Sue Chrysanthou SC outside court in Sydney.
Photo: ABC News / Abubakr Sajid
“That is absolutely outrageous,” Wilson responded.
Sibtain objected to Chrysanthou’s questions on Tuesday and Wednesday, which have repeatedly suggested his client was lying on the stand, and said Wilson had provided a police report.
“In circumstances where our learned friends have been provided with a police report, that sort of question is offensive, it’s intimidating and it’s humiliating,” he said.
But Chrysanthou argued Wilson had only previously said WhatsApp was not backed up, and had not revealed before Wednesday that she believed some text messages were lost too.
Wilson thanks supporters
On Tuesday, Chrysanthou accused Wilson of lying multiple times, both on the stand and in a 60 Minutes interview she conducted about the legal case.
Wilson has repeatedly said her evidence has been truthful.
The court has also been shown an exchange of text messages between Wilson and MacInnes, where Wilson reprimanded the young actor for not turning up to a showing of Oklahoma! in London in May 2023 when Wilson had bought her a ticket.
Wilson’s texts called MacInnes “terribly rude” for not responding to her messages and said it was “not a great start to our working relationship”.
MacInnes’s text reply apologies to Wilson and said she did not get the messages, because she had no Wi-Fi.
Asked whether her text was bullying, Wilson said she did not consider it so.
Movie producer Amanda Ghost, who is at the centre of the case and flew in from the UK, arriving at court on Tuesday.
Photo: ABC News / Abubakr Sajid
On her way into court on Wednesday, Wilson refused to comment about the case but thanked supporters in The Deb cast.
“Because I have such respect for the legal process, I’m not allowed to comment about anything whilst the trial is continuing,” she told media outside court.
“But thanks to everybody for being here, and particularly The Deb cast and crew who’ve been supporting me through this.”
MacInnes has accused Wilson of claiming the young actor was sexually harassed by Amanda Ghost, a producer on The Deb, in a bathtub incident in Bondi in 2023.
Wilson is then accused of posting to her social media claims that MacInnes “changed her story” to secure work opportunities, such as a recording contract.
On Tuesday, Wilson also gave evidence that she had disputes with Ghost and two other producers about the budget of The Deb, and accused the producers of “embezzlement” of some funds.
– ABC