As Rebel Wilson awaits the outcome of her appeal of a judge’s ruling allowing three producers of her film “The Deb” to proceed with their defamation suit, the Australian actress has been hit with another claim by one producer who alleges Wilson, through an associate, called her the “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden originally sued Wilson last in July 2024 in Los Angeles Superior Court after the actor posted to her 11 million Instagram followers that the producers of the film, which she directed, had engaged in theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.
Wilson has countersued the plaintiffs, accusing the producers of a “troubling pattern” of “theft, bullying and sexual misconduct” and that they inflated the film’s budget and split the extra money between them.
On Tuesday, Ghost filed a defamation countersuit of her own, stating that with the assistance of public relations professionals, Wilson “caused to be registered and published on the internet a series of defamatory websites that set forth grotesque lies about Ms. Ghost.”
One of the alleged defamatory passages stated, “We won’t stop. We’re in this until Amanda Ghost is exposed for the evil that she is. As the Indian Ghislaine Maxwell, she trades on pleasure for protection,” while another stated, “The 2000’s Heidi Fleiss, Amanda Ghost learned her trade in theft, discovering how easy it was to steal from talented artists,” according to the countersuit.
The description of Ghost as the “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell,” who was “famously imprisoned for abetting a billionaire’s predatory behavior toward young women, is not merely racist, but a clear charge of heinous criminal conduct,” according to the countersuit, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Last Nov. 21, the judge denied Wilson’s attempt to dismiss the producers’ original defamation suit with an anti-SLAPP motion and his ruling is now on appeal. The state’s anti-SLAPP — Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation — statute is aimed at stopping people from using courts, and potential threats of a lawsuit, to intimidate those who are exercising their First Amendment rights.
The judge found that the statements at issue by the 44-year-old Wilson did not involve matters of public interest, but instead were made in the context of the celebrity’s private business dispute with the plaintiffs surrounding the production and premiere of the film.
“The fact that defendant’s statements accuse plaintiff of criminal conduct make them defamatory on their face,” the judge wrote.
Ghost had filed a sworn declaration in opposition to the dismissal motion.
“I have suffered significant harm as a result of Wilson’s defamation, including the emotional and reputation harm and the embarrassment of being smeared as a criminal embezzler and sexual abuser in front of an audience of millions,” Ghost said.
Wilson’s statements additionally have disrupted efforts to sell the “The Deb,” jeopardizing and perhaps destroying the ability to recoup the producers’ investment or receive future profits, Ghost further contends.
The producers’ legal team includes Camille M. Vasquez, who represented Johnny Depp in his dueling litigation with former spouse Amber Heard. Vasquez wrote Ghost’s new countersuit.
Wilson’s film credits include the 2011 comedy films “Bridesmaids” and “A Few Best Men.”
Trial of the case is scheduled Oct. 5, 2026.