Rebel Wilson has justified her public pursuit of a journalist she accused of “harassing” her elderly grandmother as an example of “social media shaming to stop criminal conduct” – even after tweeting an image of the wrong woman to her millions of followers.
“If your name is Elizabeth Wilson and you work for ACP Magazines, just know that you are a disgrace for harassing my sick, sweet grandma,” Wilson tweeted to her 2.44 million followers on Friday.
If your name is Elizabeth Wilson and you work for ACP Magazines, just know that you are a disgrace for harassing my sweet, sick grandma.
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) February 26, 2016
In a reply to another Twitter user she said her grandmother was 86 “and not well” – “for a ‘journalist’ to harass and verbally abuse her leaving her scared, is totally wrong”.
She posted an image of Elizabeth Wilson, a features editor at House & Garden magazine, with the caption, “Here she is: total scum”.
When other Twitter users first questioned whether she had wrongly identified the journalist, Rebel Wilson replied, “Well send me a picture of the right Elizabeth Wilson”, but eventually deleted the tweet.
She “clarified” further on Sunday, explaining her mistake to her followers, apologising to the Elizabeth Wilson of House & Garden – and tweeting an image of a different woman.
This Elizabeth Wilson, it is now confirmed, was the one who harassed my 86 year old frail grandma.
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) February 27, 2016
Unfortunately there are two Elizabeth Wilson's who have worked for ACP Magazines in Oz (now known as Bauer Media Group), my apologies X
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) February 27, 2016
“What’s weird is that [Elizabeth Wilson] is the sister of respected Australian journalists Jim & Rebecca Wilson,” she added, referring to the prominent sports reporters.
She also tweeted that “authorities had been contacted”, and, in a reply to another user, that her grandmother was no longer being harassed: “So, sadly, it took social media shaming to stop criminal conduct.”
My utter gratitude to everyone who has been helping with this case and again my apologies to the innocent 'other' Elizabeth Wilson.
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) February 27, 2016
A representative for Rebel Wilson in Australia has been contacted for comment.
Bauer Media, which publishes House & Garden magazine, responded to the case of mistaken identity in a statement on Monday afternoon.
“Claims made by actress Rebel Wilson that a journalist working for ACP Magazines (Bauer Media) had contacted her grandmother are false.
“The person referred to in Twitter posts by Ms Wilson over the weekend was not working for Bauer Media in any capacity.
“Bauer Media also regrets the decision by Ms Wilson to post an incorrect picture of one of our highly experienced and respected staff members, who is in no way connected to these events and who has been left distressed.”
The freelance journalist Elizabeth Wilson – known as Lizzie – who did speak to Wilson’s grandmother last week has told women’s website Mamamia she is “beyond distraught” by the actor’s Twitter barrage, and denied the “false scurrilous allegations”.
Commissioned by a “very respectable” publication to write a profile of Wilson, she contacted Wilson’s grandmother Betty, whose information she said was publicly available.
Wilson told Mamamia that both interactions were “pleasant”, but she did not record or make transcripts of them.
“I’m just not coping very well with this,” she said. “I am beyond distraught that this has happened and that Rebel Wilson has made these false allegations. ...
“I can’t believe she can just say these things on social media. It’s a very dark world. Especially since I have no real way to defend myself.
“I just want everyone to know the truth.”
