The PR Team That Called Rebel Wilson ‘F***ing Nuts’ Also Worked for Justin Baldoni
Amid a defamation lawsuit, Rebel Wilson turned to a controversial crisis PR team. Charlotte MacInnes, an actor in Wilson’s directorial debut The Deb, claimed Wilson made social media posts claiming MacInnes made a sexual harassment complaint against producer Amanda Ghost before walking back the allegations to better her career. The crisis firm hired by Wilson has also worked with Justin Baldoni amid his legal proceedings with Blake Lively.
Rebel Wilson’s own PR team called her ‘nuts’
In 2023, Ghost and MacInnes were swimming at Bondi Beach when the former had an allergic reaction to the water. According to MacInnes’ lawyer, the actor then ran a hot bath for Ghost. At some point, they both got into the bath, which her lawyer described as “oversized,” while wearing swimsuits.
Wilson alleged on social media that MacInnes claimed she felt uncomfortable sharing a bath with Ghost. She also claimed that MacInnes retracted her complaint in exchange for a record deal and a theater role. MacInnes has sued for defamation.
Wilson allegedly hired crisis PR firm The Agency Group (TAG) in July 2024 to create websites that made malicious allegations against Ghost. Per People, one of these sites claimed an anonymous actor received a reward “for remaining silent about the abuse she suffered at Ghost’s hands.”
In messages between TAG employee Katie Case and her boss, Melissa Nathan, they wrote that Wilson wanted a “really, really harsh” site that painted Ghost “as a madam.” Wilson has denied any responsibility for the alleged smear campaign.
TAG employees also described Wilson as “f***ing nuts” in text messages.
Rebel Wilson’s PR team also works for Justin Baldoni
The Agency Group might sound familiar because they’ve been in the news frequently in relation to Baldoni. In a 2024 lawsuit, Lively accused him of sexual harassment and coordinating a smear campaign against her. According to the lawsuit, Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath feared Lively’s complaints about him would become public knowledge. To get ahead of this, they allegedly hired TAG to damage her reputation before this could happen.
“He wants to feel like she can be buried,” a publicist working for Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios wrote to Nathan (via The New York Times).
“You know we can bury anyone,” Nathan responded.
While a judge recently threw out Lively’s claims of sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy, he noted that Baldoni’s public relations campaigning could be viewed as problematic.
“Certain conduct at least arguably crossed the line,” U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman wrote, per The Hollywood Reporter. He added, “There are limits to the response that the accused can make in response to claims of harassment. There comes a point where the accused stops simply defending him or herself and starts taking action that a reasonable jury could view as retaliation for the fact that the accuser had the temerity to make the accusations.”
Lively and Baldoni are set to go to trial on May 18. TAG has also worked with public figures including Johnny Depp, Drake, Travis Scott, and Logan Paul.
