Rebel Wilson receives apology after controversial SMH column

It was revealed on Saturday that Rebel Wilson was forced to come out after learning that Sydney Morning Herald journalist Andrew Hornery planned to write about her new relationship with Ramona Agruma on Saturday.

There was a huge backlash worldwide, with many people disappointed by the SMH’s actions. After complaining that the star ‘gazumped’ the publication, and an editor’s note justifying their behaviour with no apology, the journalist has released another column about his ‘mistakes’.

Titled ‘I made mistakes over Rebel Wilson, and will learn from them’, Hornery writes that he has learned some ‘new and difficult lessons’.

“I genuinely regret that Rebel has found this hard. That was never my intention. But I see she has handled it all with extraordinary grace,” he wrote for SMH.

“As a gay man I’m well aware of how deeply discrimination hurts. The last thing I would ever want to do is inflict that pain on someone else.”

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He explains that the star had been posting photos of herself with Ramona on her Instagram account for months, and ‘assumed’ she may be ready to talk about her new relationship.

He admits that the publication ‘mishandled’ their approach, and while he did give the star a deadline to reply to his query, it wasn’t meant to be taken as a ‘threat’.

“It is not the Herald’s business to ‘out’ people and that is not what we set out to do. But I understand why my email has been seen as a threat. The framing of it was a mistake,” he wrote.

The SMH has now deleted Andrew’s original column and has replaced it with his ‘apology’.

Rebel breaks her silence

The Pitch Perfect star broke her silence on Sunday by tweeting about the support she had received, saying: “Thank you for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace." The Senior Year star's tweet has already gained over 23,000 likes, showing that she has an abundance of support behind her.

The star has liked several tweets about how awful the situation has been, including one that reads: “Utterly deplorable. Coming out is as terrifying as it is wonderful, but ONLY on YOUR own terms.”

“This shouldn't happen to anyone, and you are handling it with amazing grace. We are glad you are happy that's all that counts,” another adds.

“Coming out can be hard, trust me I’ve done it. And it is that person’s story to tell when they are ready. No one should have that stolen from them. Plus it’s 2022, why is loving the same sex still newsworthy?” a third reads.

'Disney Princess'

This comes after Rebel made her new relationship Instagram official on Friday, writing, “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince…but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess. Love is love,” alongside a photo of the new couple.

Her new squeeze Ramona is a fashion designer in Los Angeles, with her own clothing line Lemon Ve Limon. The clothing brand is ‘sustainable’ and makes pieces that combine ‘comfort and style.’

The Pitch Perfect star has actually been taking Ramona to big events this year as her plus one and has even regularly posted photos of her new girlfriend on Instagram. Nobody batted an eyelid as it was assumed the pair were just friends, but the actress is clearly smitten.

The couple made their public debut in March when the loved-up women attended the Vanity Fair Oscars party. Rebel also took Ramona on a long-weekend trip to Utah, where the star supported the charity Operation Smile which helps children around the world.

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