Backlash over Sydney Morning Herald’s Rebel Wilson article

A newspaper has been slammed over a column complaining that Rebel Wilson revealed her new relationship after being asked for comment.

Rebel Wilson has responded after a newspaper was accused of ‘outing’ her relationship with her new girlfriend.

The actress, 42, introduced fans to her new girlfriend Ramona Agruma on social media lastweek.

But the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday revealed that it had known about the relationship before it was public and had given Rebel two days to respond to questions about her love life.

The newspaper has copped backlash after publishing a column complaining about how she announced the relationship herself - before its editor released a further statement insisting it had not pressured Rebel into coming out.

As outrage aimed at the newspaper poured in, Rebel took to Twitter to respond.

“It was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace,” she wrote, adding a loveheart emoji.

In May, Wilson teased that she was “happily” in a relationship but did not reveal the identity of her partner.

Then last week, Rebel made her relationship Instagram official: “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince … but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess,” the Pitch Perfect actor wrote in a caption of a selfie with Ramona.

Afterwards, in an opinion piece, Sydney Morning Herald columnist Andrew Hornery wrote that he had given Rebel two days to comment on her relationship, describing it as a “big mistake”.

Rebel Wilson and Ramona Agruma attend Operation Smile's 10th Annual Park City Ski Challenge. Picture: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images for Operation Smile

Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace 💗

— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) June 12, 2022

“It was an abundance of caution and respect that this media outlet emailed Rebel Wilson’s representatives on Thursday morning, giving her two days to comment on her new relationship with another woman, LA leisure wear designer Ramona Agruma, before publishing a single word,” he wrote.

“Big mistake. Wilson opted to gazump the story, posting about her new ‘Disney Princess’ on Instagram early Friday morning, the same platform she had previously used to brag about her handsome ex-boyfriend, wealthy American beer baron Jacob Busch.”

Mr Hornery added in his column that Rebel had her “bestie”, the actor Hugh Sheridan, doing radio interviews on breakfast FM on Friday morning, during which he gloated about introducing the women to each other six months ago.

“Apparently they had hit it off pretty much immediately, but had kept the relationship under wrap,” he said.

“Considering how bitterly Wilson had complained about poor journalism standards when she successfully sued Woman’s Day for defamation, her choice to ignore our discreet, genuine and honest queries was, in our view, underwhelming.”

The newspaper’s editor Bevan Shields has since published a note offering “transparency” on what happened.

“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,” he wrote.

“To say that the Herald ‘outed’ Wilson is wrong.

“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.

“Private Sydney is a column in which the writer’s interaction with his subjects is often part of the story. Saturday’s piece followed that theme in giving readers insights into our interaction with Wilson and her PR team. This was not a standard news story.”

Shields signed off by wishing the couple well.

Rebel Wilson (R) and Ramona Agruma. Picture: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images for Operation Smile

Supplied Editorial Hugh Sheridan with Rebel Wilson and her partner Ramona Agruma

Social media users were quick to come to the defence of Rebel, slamming the Sydney Morning Herald piece.

BBC reporter Megha Mohan wrote on Twitter, “I’ve just read this @smh piece 3 times to make sure that I wasn’t misreading. The publication messaged Rebel Wilson saying they would out her in 2 days - and is now complaining that she chose to announce her relationship with a woman herself. Quite astonishing.”

Another woman wrote, “Sydney Morning Herald issuing a think piece on how they gave Rebel Wilson 48 hours before outing her to the world, but *she* is the bad person for using that time to come out on her terms has left me flummoxed. What a thing to do, let alone admit to, let alone expect pity for.”

Another person posted: “When I saw ‘the Sydney Morning Herald threatened to out Rebel Wilson and then complained that she scooped them’ I thought someone had leaked an email or something. It never occurred to me that they would publish this narrative of the events in print and expect it go to well.”

When I saw "the Sydney Morning Herald threatened to out Rebel Wilson and then complained that she scooped them" I thought someone had leaked an email or something. It never occurred to me that they would publish this narrative of the events in print and expect it go to well. https://t.co/SXmRy8HIq1

— Ms. Respex (@Respexy) June 11, 2022

I stand with Rebel Wilson. On one level, I'm happy that she's out, but it should have been entirely on her terms, when she was ready, if she even ever was.

It shouldn't have been because she was forced to. The actions of the Sydney Morning Herald are beyond disgraceful.

— Felicity 🏳️‍⚧️♀️ (@Tranarchic) June 11, 2022

This is so gross—not only the Sydney Morning Herald’s vile plan to out Rebel Wilson, but their piss poor attitude after she took the narrative into her own hands and revealed her relationship (which she shouldn’t have had to do under duress).

Let people come out on their terms. https://t.co/M2Y0C8FKm3

— Katcy Stephan (@katcystephan) June 11, 2022

Back in May, Rebel, 42, added that she had been looking for love on dating apps, but she was ultimately introduced to her new significant other through a pal.

“I was on and off on the Raya app, but this was a friend set up,” she said. “He had known both of us for at least five years and he thought we would hit it off — and then we did!”

Rebel Wilson and Ramona Agruma attend the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Picture: Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic

The pair has been hiding in plain sight, as the Senior Year star actually took Agruma as her plus-one to the Vanity Fair Oscars party in March.

The Isn’t It Romantic star, who has lost a tremendous amount of weight over the past year, last dated Jacob Busch, but the pair split in early 2021. She was then linked to tennis player Matt Reid.

Ramona is a fashion designer and entrepreneur who is the founder of LEMON VE LIMON, a sustainable clothing company. She also stars as a brand ambassador for Bee Goddess Jewellery.

Originally published as Backlash over Sydney Morning Herald’s Rebel Wilson article