Rebel Wilson has apologized after going on a blocking spree when several Black women corrected her about an achievement she falsely believed she was the first to make.
Wilson appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Wednesday, Oct. 31 to promote her new film, “Isn’t It Romantic?” about a woman who loathes romantic comedies but winds up in one herself.
“I’m kind of proud to be the first ever plus-sized girl to be the star of a romantic comedy,” Wilson said.
But many took issue with her remark and pointed out that actresses like Mo’Nique and Queen Latifah have starred in rom-coms themselves.
“I love @RebelWilson as much as the next girl, but she isn’t the first plus sized woman to play the lead in a romantic comedy. Queen Latifah and Mo’Nique have both played romcom leads 🤔”
Some tweeted directly at Wilson who explained away their facts.
“Yeah, I of course know of these movies, but it was questionable as to whether: 1. Technically those actresses were plus size when filming those movies or 2. Technically those films are categorized/billed as a studio rom-com with a sole lead. So there’s a slight grey area,” the actress responded.
Even Mo’Nique chimed in and encouraged Wilson not to “allow this business to erase our talent with giving grey areas and technicalities. Take a moment and know the history. DON’T BE A PART OF ERASING IT.”
Wilson replied saying that wasn’t her intention.
Not long after several Black women began noting that they were blocked by the comedian after pointing out the issue with her statement. It spawned the hashtag, #RebelWilsonBlockedMe.
“::grin:: #RebelWilsonBlockedMe (I didn’t even say anything super harsh) Where’s the party?”
“happy to join the #RebelWilsonBlockedMe party.”
“Ha ha! We serving mimosas at the #RebelWilsonBlockedMe meeting this morning?”
“I too have been blocked @IWriteAllDay_ allllll over a retweet LOL #RebelWilsonBlockedMe.”
Wilson finally owned up to her mistake Monday, Nov. 4 and apologized for causing the backlash that erupted in a series of tweets.
“In a couple of well-intentioned moments, hoping to lift my fellow plus sized women up, I neglected to show the proper respect to those who climbed this mountain before me like Mo’Nique, Queen Latifah, Melissa McCarthy, Ricki Lake and likely many others,” she said.
“With the help of some very compassionate and well-thought out responses from others on social media, I now realize what I said was not only wrong but also incredibly hurtful,” she added. “To be part of a problem I was hoping I was helping makes it that much more embarrassing & hard to acknowledge. I blocked people on Twitter because I was hurting from the criticism, but those are the people I actually need to hear from more, not less. Again, I am deeply sorry.”
