Rebel Wilson has disclosed that comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen is the Hollywood figure trying to halt the upcoming release of her memoir, "Rebel Rising," over claims she made about him. In an Instagram post from March 15, Wilson previously referred to a then-unidentified "massive a**hole" she had worked with in the industry, stating that person had threatened to take action after she said she would dedicate an entire chapter to outing his behavior.
On Monday, Wilson posted an Instagram story formally naming the "Borat" actor, writing, "I will not be bullied or silenced with high priced lawyer or PR crisis managers. The ‘a**hole’ that I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is Sacha Baron Cohen.”
The two starred together in the 2016 comedy, “The Brothers Grimsby.” Variety reports that on a radio show in 2014, Wilson had said Baron Cohen tried to pressure her to "go naked" in the movie because it would be "hilarious." She refused. Instead, Wilson says that when they got around to filming the "Grimsby" scene, Baron Cohen decided to go off script and told her, "I’ll just pull down my pants, you just stick your finger up my butt, it’ll be a really funny bit.”
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Cohen responded to Wilson's allegations. “While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of 'The Brothers Grimsby,'” the spokesperson said, per CNN.
Shares