In an op-ed published by the Sydney Morning Herald, journalist Andrew Hornery complained that he had made a “big mistake” by giving Rebel Wilson two days to comment on her sexuality.
The Sydney Morning Herald has come under fire after journalist Andrew Hornery revealed he planned to take out Rebel Wilson before the actress made her sexuality public.
The 42-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday to announce her relationship with new girlfriend, fashion designer Ramona Agruma.
“I thought I was looking for a Disney prince… but maybe I really needed a Disney princess all along,” she captioned the photo, along with a rainbow emoji and the hashtag #loveislove.
But in an op-ed published Saturday in the Sydney Morning Herald, Private Sydney columnist Mr Hornery complained that Ms Wilson did not come out until after he approached her for comment.
“In a perfect world, ‘getaway’ relationships with same-sex celebrities should be a redundant concept by 2022. Love is love, right?” Mr. Hornery wrote.
So it was an abundance of caution and respect that this media outlet emailed Rebel Wilson representatives on Thursday morning, giving her two days to comment on her new relationship with another woman, LA casual wear designer Ramona Agruma, before publishing a single word.”
He described it as a “big mistake” and accused Ms Wilson of choosing to “tell the story” because she chose to come out on social media herself.
“Given the bitterness Wilson had complained of about poor journalistic standards when she successfully sued Women’s Day for defamation, her choice to ignore our discreet, sincere and honest questions was, in our view, disappointing,” he continued.
Mr Hornery argued that if he had taken the actress out it wouldn’t have been a big deal as “sexual orientation is no longer something to hide, even in Hollywood”.
“Until now, Wilson had publicly identified herself as a heterosexual woman. It’s unlikely she would have experienced the kind of discrimination, let alone homophobia — unconsciously or overtly — that sadly still affects so many gay, lesbian and non-straight people,” he said.
In an earlier article published Friday by the Herald, Mr Hornery wrote that Ms Wilson “ignored requests for comment” about her relationship, instead choosing to “make the disclosures herself on social media”.
Both the Herald and Mr Hornery have been criticized online after social media users accused them of forcing Ms Wilson to challenge herself.
“The publication sent Rebel Wilson a notice that they would release her in two days — and is now complaining that she chose to announce her relationship with a woman herself. Very astonishing,” wrote BBC reporter Megha Mohan.
“I am so angry about this piece in Andrew Hornery’s Sydney Morning Herald. “Wilson chose to oversee the story?” wish Hornery had “exercised caution” and not written this at all. You’re right: it was “her choice to ignore your questions.” Grow up,” said ABC Radio journalist Dan Cox.
“I am so disgusted by this. Turns out rebel Wilson only came out to avoid being forcibly brought out and now that newspaper is mad at her for ruining their scoop? So they wrote this mess?” read another Tweet.
Sydney Morning Herald editor-in-chief Bevan Shields said he had read the feedback on the article “carefully”.
“To say that the Herald ‘outed’ Wilson is wrong,” Mr Bevans wrote in a note from the editor.
“Like other mastheads do every day, we just asked questions and by default there was a deadline for a response. I hadn’t made a decision about whether or not to publish and the Herald’s decision on what to do would have been informed by any response Wilson had given.”
In May, Ms Wilson teased that she was “fortunately in a relationship” with someone she met “through a friend”, but did not elaborate on the matter.
She told the dating podcast Up? she was on and off the dating app Raya before actor Hugh Sheridan hooked her up with another boyfriend.
“He’d known us both for at least five years and said, ‘Yeah, I think you guys would like it,’ and then we did,” she said.
Ms. Wilson was previously in a relationship with American businessman Jacob Busch, who is an heir to the Anheuser-Busch fortune, but the couple split in February 2021.
SkyNews.com.au has reached out to a representative of Ms Wilson for comment.
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