Last Thursday, Rebel Wilson seemingly came out on Instagram after posting a photo of herself alongside her girlfriend, Ramona Agruma.
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Which she even captioned with this cute statement that she had found her "Disney Princess."
However, the following day, the Sydney Morning Herald published a since-deleted article in which they said they knew about the relationship and had reached out to her on Thursday and given her "two days to comment on her new relationship."
Obviously, this shifted the conversation, as people realized that Rebel was actually forced to come out.
So apparently it wasn't @RebelWilson's choice to come out... The @smh/@theage have admitted to giving her a heads up 2 days in advance that they were going to "out" her. What's worse, openly gay men at the Sydney Morning Herald were involved in this. π€¦πΌββοΈ https://t.co/Zl80zg01SW
And yesterday, Rebel commented on the whole situation with a simple statement:
@katedoak @smh @theage Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace π
Since then, the Sydney Morning Herald and the journalist who wanted to write the story about Rebel's relationship have faced a huge backlash (rightfully so) and apologized.
The Herald made mistakes over Rebel Wilson, and will learn from them. Saturdayβs piece has been retracted and Andrew Hornery goes into detail here about what we didnβt get right https://t.co/jrnBpbJ4ne
But aside from people calling out the Sydney Morning Herald, they have also shown a huge amount of love and support for Rebel β alongside the conversation about forcing someone out.
And here are some great Twitter reactions of support for Rebel:
1.
I love you Rebel Wilson. A personβs decision and timeframe to define their sexuality should never be on anyone elseβs terms. https://t.co/AuijBJ669V
2.
@RebelWilson @katedoak @smh @theage you deserve so much better. sending love and light to you πβ¨
3.
Coming out is often a long, scary process, with many beats. Self-realisation, telling friends & family, a first relationship. I thought the press forcing people to out themselves, regardless of whether or not they were ready, was a thing of the past. I must have been mistaken.
4.
@RebelWilson @katedoak @smh @theage You are showing far more grace than they deserve. You're doing great and, as a journalist, I'm so sorry that anyone in my profession put you in this position in the first place.
5.
Adore you @RebelWilson. Real journos donβt do this. On behalf of our industry, Iβm so, so sorry. 19 year old me would not have dealt this well with being threatened to be outed. Just wrong. Thank you for taking your power back. π³οΈβπ https://t.co/KkySps2oQ9
6.
@RebelWilson I am truly sorry you have had to go through this. Itβs beyond unacceptable. Wishing you every happiness in this new relationship ππ
7.
It doesnβt matter how public your life is or not, no one should have to forcibly be outed. No one should out anyone. It is that personβs choice to come out and when they want to tell people. Sorry to Rebel that people are still ignorant assholes. Also, welcome to the community!π https://t.co/6X33D2uB1Y
8.
Hey @RebelWilson remember when the press outed George Michael? Remember his response? The glorious Outside song and video. He basically told them all to piss off. His popularity never waned. You do you and fuck the haters.
9.
In case you were wondering how Pride Month is going, the @smh got in touch with Rebel Wilson to say theyβd be outing her in the next few days, so when Rebel came out herself the journalists are throwing a tantrum that she robbed them of an exclusive.
10.
Reading the news about @RebelWilson and her horrible dealings with an Australian paper reminds me exactly of the situation with our Steo and the sun newspaper in the UK. How can this be possible today ? Rebel I hope you are ok and you have the strength and love to rise above. X
11.
i am so beyond disgusted at this. turns out rebel wilson only came out to avoid being forcefully outed and now that newspaper is pissed at her for ruining their scoop?? so they wrote this mess?? i am so angry and so sorry for rebel, no one deserves this.
12.
itβs not journalism to force people to come out. The individuals that caused this situation should be ashamed of themselves Rebel DID handle it with grace and itβs wonderful to see her happy in love - but talking about it should have been on her own terms https://t.co/EEPyYP8uG6
13.
Wait, the SMH is mad because they were going to out Rebel Wilson and when they told her they were going to, she did it herself instead? Is this the 1960s? Who in a reputable paper thinks itβs their right to forcibly out someone? How the fuck is that in the public interest?
14.
Iβm not retweeting it but I canβt believe that thing in the SMH about Rebel Wilson was even printed. What a fvcking disgrace. How dare any media person anywhere assume to out anyone and then get pissed off when that person takes over the narrative themselves?
15.
We support you β€οΈ https://t.co/XJXtOOH7xQ
16.
No one should ever be outed. Well done to you, @RebelWilson for dealing with the situation with such courage and dignity β€οΈ https://t.co/ewLBEYuHFy
17.
me driving to australia to b*rn down the hq of that newspaper that was gonna out rebel wilson
18.
you have an army of love behind you π iβm so sorry this didnβt happen for you fully on your own terms, you deserve so much better. https://t.co/wRJMVkENGq
19.
@sallyrugg @smh No one should ever be made to feel like they have been backed into a corner and have no choice but to come out publicly before being outed by the media. Congratulations to @RebelWilson for finding happiness and being a woman of integrity
20.
I've been thinking about Rebel Wilson and here is my conclusion. Whomever she is in a relationship with is her own fucking business. Sexuality is not a news story. Good on Rebel, I hope she's happy, leave her the fuck alone to walk her path. JC β₯οΈ
21.
I hope Rebel Wilson sues the fk out of the SMH
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