Rebel Wilson is thought to have been pressured into announcing her relationship with fashion designer Ramona Agruma after receiving an email from a journalist expressing plans to share the news.
Wilson was met with praise and congratulations after announcing she had found her 'Disney princess' in Agruma in a post shared on Instagram earlier this week, however, Herald journalist Andrew Hornery has since claimed the Pitch Perfect actor's post came in an effort to 'gazump' his story.
In an opinion piece published in the Herald on Saturday (11 June), Hornery claimed Wilson only came out after he approached her for comment.
The journalist alleged 'outing same-sex celebrity relationships should be a redundant concept' in a 'perfect world', adding: "Love is love, right?”
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"So, 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 continued.
Hornery described this decision to reach out to Wilson's representatives as a 'big mistake', alleging the actor only then posted about her new relationship on Instagram.
He continued: “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."
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The news of Hornery's email to Wilson's representatives has sparked backlash and criticism across the globe, with many claiming the actor only chose to share her news as a result of 'force' from Hornery.
"i am so beyond disgusted at this. turns out rebel wilson only came out to avoid being forcefully outed and now that newspaper is p***ed at her for ruining their scoop?? so they wrote this mess?? i am so angry and so sorry for rebel, no one deserves this," one Twitter user wrote.
In the wake of the backlash, Sydney Morning Herald editor Bevan Shields published an article in which he claimed: "To say that the Herald ‘outed’ Wilson is wrong."
Shields argued the outlet had 'simply asked questions and as standard practice included a deadline for a response'.
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"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. Wilson made the decision to publicly disclose her new partner - who had been a feature of her social media accounts for months," he wrote.
UNILAD has reached out to Hornery and representatives for Wilson for further comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]
Emily Brown