An Australian journalist who writes about celebrities had given Rebel Wilson’s representatives fewer than two days to comment on the new couple before he published a column about them. Before Rebel Wilson, an Australian actress and comedian, made public her new relationship, the journalist had written a column about the new couple.
Ms. Wilson’s admirers, other journalists, and members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community voiced their disagreement with the essay online, stating that the choice to come out and when to do so is a personal one. Despite the fact that Ms. Wilson had published online images of herself with Ms. Agruma in the past, she had never disclosed to the public that the two were dating.
Ms. Wilson, who is renowned for her appearances in “Bridesmaids” and “Pitch Perfect,” said in the Instagram post that she was in a relationship with Ms. Agruma, the creator of a fashion firm that is situated in Los Angeles. Ms. Wilson is recognised for her performances in “Bridesmaids” and “Pitch Perfect.”
On Monday, a spokesperson for Ms. Wilson refused to comment, and Ms. Agruma did not immediately reply to calls for comment on the matter. Ms. Wilson, in response to the abuse that she received online, said in a tweet on Sunday that “it was a really challenging circumstance” but that she was “trying to face it with grace.”
Mr. Hornery, who is homosexual, wrote in his celebrity column for “Private Sydney” on Saturday that Ms. Wilson’s “decision to reject” his “discreet, real, and honest inquiries was, in our opinion, unimpressive.” He said this in reference to Ms. Wilson’s behaviour in response to his questions.
Mr. Hornery said, in a new column that was published on Monday, that the newspaper had “mishandled stages in our approach,” and that the first editorial had been pulled from the website of The Morning Herald. The heading for the new piece said, “I will learn from my blunders about Rebel Wilson.”
When asked for his opinion on the matter on Monday, Mr. Hornery said that he had nothing to add to what he had already written in his column. On Monday, our attempts to get in touch with The Sydney Morning Herald were futile.
“Not coming out on one’s own terms may be tough psychologically and professionally,” Cathy Renna, a spokesperson for the National L.G.B.T.Q. Task Force, said in a statement. “Even when it is a wonderful, joyous, motivating gesture, as Wilson’s coming-out post was to so many,” she said.
Mr. Hornery said in his new column that on Thursday morning he sent an email to Ms. Wilson’s management asking if she would be willing to remark about the connection. He also mentioned that his deadline for the piece was on Friday at one o’clock in the afternoon. He said that he had many sources who had verified the link, but that he was seeking a statement “in the interests of openness and fairness.” [Case in point:]
Bevan Shields, the editor of The Morning Herald, which is owned by Nine Entertainment and published on Sunday, claimed that he had been carefully reading responses about the piece. The message from the editor was published as an editor’s note.
Mr. Shields said, “I had made no judgement about whether or what to publish,” adding that he would have taken her reaction into consideration if he had made a decision. Wilson took the choice to publicly announce her new boyfriend, who had been a component of her social media pages for many months prior to making this decision.