Rebel Rising was on April 3 and Wilson was scheduled to make a three-date tour to promote the book. But British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen of working on his filmGrimsby (The Brothers Grimsby in the US). Wilson alleged among other things in the redacted chapter called “Sacha Baron Cohen and Other A--holes” that she did not want to appear naked in the film and that Baron Cohen had asked her to stick her finger up his backside during the filming of a sex scene.
The British edition of Rebel Wilson’s memoir,Rebel Rising,was published this week with chunks in the chapter about Sacha Baron Cohen redacted. In Australia,the entire chapter will be redacted.
The book was delayed after Baron Cohen said the claims were “demonstrably false”,and her promotional tour to Brisbane,Melbourne and Sydney was subsequently cancelled.
Wilson had initially responded to Baron Cohen’s objections with a statement on Instagram:“I will not be silenced by high-priced lawyers or PR crisis managers. The a---hole I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is:Sacha Baron Cohen.”
While the book will now be released,publisher HarperCollins has opted to redact the entire chapter that deals with the filming ofGrimsby. A spokesperson for the publisher said:“For legal reasons,we have redacted one chapter in the ANZ edition and included an explanatory note accordingly. That chapter is a very small part of a much bigger story.”
Rebel Wilson’s memoir,Rebel Rising.Supplied
However,in the US,where the book was published on April 2,defamation laws differ from those in Australia and the UK,and Wilson’s account appeared in full.Rebel Rising appeared in Britain on Thursday,with sections blacked out. She is now on tour there,appearing in Manchester on Friday night and at the London Palladium on Monday.
A spokesperson for Baron Cohen issued a triumphant statement to entertainment.
“HarperCollins did not fact-check this chapter in the book prior to publication and took the sensible but terribly belated step of deleting Rebel Wilson’s defamatory claims once presented with evidence that they were false. Printing falsehoods is against the law in the UK and Australia;this is not a ‘peculiarity’ as Ms Wilson said,but a legal principle that has existed for many hundreds of years.
“This is a clear victory for Sacha Baron Cohen and confirms what we said from the beginning – that this is demonstrably false,in a shameful and failed effort to sell books.”
Sacha Baron Cohen said Rebel Wilson’s account of making Grimsby was “a shameful and failed effort to sell books”.Supplied
Wilson’s lawyer,Bryan Freedman,responded to the statement,saying:“Rebel and I want to thank all the women who have shared their stories with us about their experiences with Sacha Baron Cohen. We are grateful for their strength and bravery.”
Earlier this month Baron Cohen and his wife,actress Isla Fisher, they had ended their 14-year marriage.
The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from books editor Jason Steger..
