Last week, actress Rebel Wilson came out of the closet and introduced the world to her new girlfriend, Ramona Agruma, over Instagram.
The “Pitch Perfect” actress posted a photo of the two smiling side-by-side. In the caption, she wrote, “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess 💗🌈💗 #loveislove.”
Instagram / rebelwilson
Although many thought that Wilson was coming out due to Pride Month, The Sydney Morning Herald published an opinion piece by journalist Andrew Hornery, where he revealed that they had only given the “Senior Year” actress a two-day deadline before they planned to announce it. The op-ed discusses Hornery’s reaction when Wilson chose not to cooperate with the publication and decided to break the news herself.
“Wilson opted to gazump the story, posting about her new ‘Disney Princess’,” Hornery wrote. The op-ed also discusses her previous relationships with men.
Rebel Wilson Fans Criticize The Sydney Morning Herald For Almost Outing Someone
Instagram / rebelwilson
Although the news didn’t come as a surprise to Wilson’s followers, many were taken aback by the way she was almost outed. Many users came to her defense, including journalist Kate Doak.
For people asking confirmation of who says this wasn’t @RebelWilson‘s choice, the @smh (Sydney Morning Herald) admits it in the link attached to my initial tweet. Screenshot also here 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/BwokQlmtIc
— Kate Doak (@katedoak) June 11, 2022
Doak 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.’”
Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace 💗
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) June 12, 2022
Wilson tweeted back to Doak: “Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace.”
However, The Sydney Morning Herald Editor Bevan Shields denied that they had tried to “out” Wilson in a statement that they shared on Sunday.
The Sydney Morning Herald Defends Themselves Against Backlash
2nd Update – @smh‘s Andrew Hornery has just made this statement to @RebelWilson.
I really feel for Rebel and Ramona given what’s in this, not to mention the LGBTIQ+ community. For those in Aus who need help, @Twenty10‘s QLife & @LifelineAust are great. https://t.co/QK6NQF6k2N pic.twitter.com/bliQtcTlYU— Kate Doak (@katedoak) June 13, 2022
The statement read, “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.”
MEGA
Shields continued, “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.”
Bevan Shields has posted this Tweet in the past hour. I can’t respond though, as I’m presently blocked by the @SMH‘s Editor In Chief. Actions like this can result in people getting seriously hurt or worse. Be yourself @RebelWilson, and show others they can be themselves too. 🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/8h4V5I5dcC
— Kate Doak (@katedoak) June 13, 2022
In her statement, Shields called the op-ed written by Andrew Hornery “a column in which the writer’s interaction with his subjects is often part of the story,” adding, “Saturday’s piece followed that theme in giving readers insights into our interaction with Wilson and her PR team.”
Instagram / rebelwilson
Shields said that “this was not a standard news story,” but concluded the statement, saying, “We wish Wilson and Agruma well.”