Rebel Wilson slams Nine journo Andrew Hornery’s ‘grubby behaviour’

Four months after Sydney Morning Herald gossip columnist Andrew Hornery tried to out her as gay, the actress has spoken of the ‘grubby’ episode.

‘To me, in 2022, love is love. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,’ says Rebel Wilson of her relationship with LA fashion designer Ramona Agruma.

Four months after a Sydney gossip columnist tried to out her as gay, Rebel Wilson has spoken of the “grubby” episode, saying she and girlfriend Ramona Agruma were yet to tell some family members they were a couple.

Wilson pre-empted exposure of her relationship by Sydney Morning Herald columnist Andrew Hornery in June by introducing her “Disney Princess” on her own Instagram account.

The relationship “wasn’t a ­secret” – Wilson and Agruma, a Los Angeles fashion designer, had been seeing each other for several months – but Hornery had forced her into going public.

“I just thought it was kind of grubby behaviour,” Wilson said.

“Basically, with the situation where a journalist is threatening to out you, you’ve got to hurry, and some people we didn’t get a chance to tell before it came out publicly. And that’s not ideal.”

Sydney-born Wilson has won fans right around the world with her comic roles in Bridesmaids and Bachelorette, and as Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect films.

Sydney Morning Herald columnist Andrew Hornery.

Sydney Morning Herald editor Bevan Shields.

She spoke to The Australian about her first dramatic role in The Almond and the Seahorse, about two women whose partners have traumatic brain injury and who then form a relationship themselves.

It’s screening as part of the British Film Festival.

Hornery had approached Wilson for comment about Agruma, and when she then went public on social media, wrote a churlish column about Wilson beating him to the news.

It provoked a global backlash, the column was retracted, and Hornery and SMH editor Bevan Shields wrote lengthy apologies.

Agruma and Wilson in Beverly Hills, California, in March. Picture: Arturo Holmes / FilmMagic

Wilson said while a same-sex relationship was “not that big of a deal”, there were sensitive discussions to be had with members of both her and Agruma’s families.

“There are levels to telling ­people,” she said. “You tell your close family and your friends and not everybody. Across our two families, not everybody is as ­accepting as what you’d hoped for, and we were trying to be respectful to those people and tell them in our own way.”

Wilson said Hornery’s actions had put unwelcome pressure on her and Agruma. “It was just a hard few days, especially for my partner, who’s not used to being in the public eye and having to deal with stuff like that,” she said.

“It was probably more harmful for her in many respects. But to me, in 2022, love is love. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal and that we should kind of be forced to make an announcement about it. But that happened.”