Rebel Wilson’s memoir, Rebel Rising, has been delayed slightly in the U.K. and indefinitely in Australia. Although her team suggested it was a promotional strategy, Wilson insinuated that Sacha Baron Cohen was behind the delays.
As soon as news broke of the book’s delayed release in the U.K. and Australia, despite already hitting U.S. bookshelves, many immediately suspected it had something to do with Cohen. Prior to the book’s release, readers were aware it would include a chapter about an “a**hole” co-worker who prompted her to adopt a “No a**holes” policy. She was always going to name Cohen as the “a**hole” in her book but was forced to identify him as the chapter’s subject before the release due to him allegedly trying to prevent the publication of her memoir. In her book, she alleges he mistreated her on the set of The Brothers Grimsby and pressured her to perform lewd acts.
In an Instagram Story, Wilson named Cohen as the problematic coworker, revealing she chose to identify him prematurely because he had allegedly used his PR team and “high-priced lawyers” in an attempt to bully and silence her. Cohen has vehemently denied the claims, but one can’t deny it is suspicious that he was allegedly so desperate to silence Wilson that he hired lawyers and sent his PR team after her. Adding weight to her allegations that Cohen tried to block the release of her memoir is her book’s sudden delay in the U.K. and Australia.
Rebel Wilson suggests Sacha Baron Cohen is behind her memoir delays
Rebel Rising was expected to debut in the U.K. and Australia on April 3, one day after it was released in the United States. However, readers who had pre-ordered the book or tried to order it online after the 3rd were confused when their orders were suddenly canceled and refunded with no explanation. Others reported getting 404 errors online, while Amazon Australia’s website simply stated, “We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.” Soon, the publisher, Harper Collins, confirmed that the release dates had been changed at the last minute. The U.K.’s release was pushed to April 25, but the book remains without a release date in Australia.
Harper Collins issued a statement to HELLO! Magazine, claiming that the reason for the delay was due to Wilson’s press tour. The publisher alleged it wanted the publication dates to coincide with the author’s press tour. She will be arriving in the U.K. at the end of April and already has tour dates for Australia set for May, raising the question of why the book’s Australia release date isn’t already being adjusted to those dates.
However, Wilson has insinuated that Cohen is behind the delays. On April 5, she posted an Instagram Story with the caption, “UK & AUS momentarily delayed by a**hole… but not for long.” Given that she almost exclusively refers to Cohen as “a**hole,” it isn’t difficult to guess who her caption was about. She hasn’t provided any further details of how Cohen allegedly managed to block the book’s publication in the U.K. and Australia. It is possible, though, that distributors are reevaluating the book amid Cohen’s denial and alleged threats of legal action, especially in countries where defamation laws may be more on his side. If it’s true Cohen is behind this, it is even more concerning that his efforts to block the book may still be ongoing and potentially even finding success internationally.
Unfortunately, responses like this are becoming increasingly frequent when women publish memoirs or try to tell their stories in any form. While men frequently write memoirs without much fanfare, there is immediate backlash anytime a woman tries to do the same. Jada Pinkett Smith was relentlessly attacked by the internet because users decided her memoir somehow “embarrassed” Will Smith; Britney Spears was pressured to apologize to a remorseless Justin Timberlake; and Sharon Stone faced a disgusting misogynistic attack from Billy Baldwin for simply mentioning his name while detailing allegations against a Hollywood producer.
Given how often men want to prevent women from telling their stories, the situation with Wilson is concerning. Women already face more than enough obstacles to tell their stories without a precedent for men being able to block women’s memoirs from publication.
(featured image: Brendon Thorne/Getty)
