Australian newspaper issues formal apology to Rebel Wilson

The Australian newspaper accused of outing actress Rebel Wilson has issued an apology over its actions

On Friday, Wilson published her own picture on social media with her new partner, saying she has finally found her “Disney princess”.

But it later surfaced that the newspaper in question, the Sydney Morning Herald, actually knew about the relationship, and was threatening to take the information public before Wilson had a chance to do so herself.

In an article published a day after Wilson’s personal Insta post, the reporter wrote he gave the actor under 48 hours to provide a comment for his story on her new-found love.

It was this report that has sparked widespread outrage online, with LGBTQ+ campaigners slamming the reporter’s intentions, saying it is unacceptable to put pressure on celebrities to come out in 2022.

Amid continuing backlash, the Sydney Morning Herald has responded, with the columnist in question, Andrew Hornery admitting he “mishandled steps in the approach”.

He says it’s not the Herald’s business to ‘out’ people… and insists that is not what the paper set out to do, but understands why his actions were taken in this way.

As a gay man, Hornery says he is well aware of how “deeply discrimination hurts” and he would not wish to “inflict that pain on someone else”.

In response to a Twitter post saying it wasn’t her choice to come out, 42-year-old Wilson says it was a “very hard situation” but she is “trying to handle it with grace”.