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8 months ago
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For decades, Rebel Wilson has been making people laugh with her hilarious and fearless self-deprecating sense of humor.
But now, the actress - who made a name for herself by being, as she puts it, the 'funny fat girl' - has revealed that behind the scenes, she struggled immensely with body insecurities that stemmed from her horrific childhood and were only amplified after she was propelled into the spotlight.
She recently lifted a lid on how her reputation as the big comedian plagued her for years, sparking a complicated relationship with her body and food and leaving her feeling like people cared more about the way she looked than her acting abilities.
The revelation was made in Rebel's explosive new tell-all memoir, Rebel Rising, which dropped on Tuesday, and was only one of the many shocking topics that she discussed throughout the tome.
Rebel Wilson has made a series of shocking admissions in her new tell-all memoir, Rebel Rising, which dropped on Tuesday
The Pitch Perfect star, 44, was fiercely honest in the book, opening up about everything from her sex life - or lack thereof - and 'rollercoaster' quest to find love to her 80 pound weight loss that stemmed from her desperation to become a mother
The book sheds a whole new light on the Australian movie star's story, unraveling layers of trauma and devastation under the bubbly and smiling woman who constantly left viewers in shambles.
The Pitch Perfect star, 44, was fiercely honest in it, opening up about everything from her sex life - or lack thereof - and 'rollercoaster' quest to find love to her 80 pound weight loss that stemmed from her desperation to become a mother.
She certainly did not hold back, also speaking in great detail about her tumultuous upbringing plagued by her volatile father's explosive outbursts, threats, and physical abuse, as well as her rise to fame.
She admitted that she struggled vastly with severe 'loneliness' after she was skyrocketed into the spotlight, 'yearning for love' but feeling unattractive due to the way she looked while only living off of $60 a month despite starring in one of the biggest movies of the year.
She made a series of shocking admissions about her years in Hollywood, accusing her own managers of forcing her to stay 'fat,' and revealing she didn't lose her virginity until age 35 - and even naming the actor that she lost it to.
The star also accused her Grimsby costar Sacha Baron Cohen of 'sexually harassing' her on set of the 2016 flick, claiming he pressured her to strip down in the film despite her having a 'no nudity' rule and once asked her to 'stick her finger up his a**.'
As Rebel's book sends shockwaves across the globe, FEMAIL recapped every surprising claim that she made in it - from her controversial Sacha statements to her complicated weight loss journey.
Rebel's horrific childhood: The star spoke in detail about her volatile father's explosive outbursts, threats, and physical abuse that left her fearing for her life
Rebel spoke in great detail about her upbringing throughout the tome, which she said was continuously rocked by her volatile father's explosive outbursts, threats, and physical abuse
She recalled one time when she poured cool water onto her mattresses to try to cool off on an exceptionally hot night, and her dad hit her for it. She's seen as a kid
Rebel spoke in great detail about her horrific upbringing throughout the tome, which she said was continuously rocked by her volatile father's explosive outbursts, threats, and physical abuse.
The actress grew up in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, with her three siblings and her parents, Sue and Warwick Bownds, who worked as professional dog handlers and breeders.
But she explained in the memoir that her dad had a fierce temper and would often erupt, leaving her terrified.
She recalled one time when she and her sister Libby had poured cool water onto their mattresses to try to cool off on an exceptionally hot night.
But when her dad came in and thought that she had wet the bed, she said he got so angry he started beating her.
She also spoke about another time when he 'threatened to kill her' after she lost a local talent show at age 12, claiming he said he was going to 'choke her'
'In a split second he goes from being our dad to becoming a red-faced angry giant,' she wrote.
'It's like veins suddenly pop out of his face, and his head is a veiny balloon that's about to burst.
'"That's it, I'm sick of you," he says. He brings his palm up to his cheek and, with the full force of a strong, stock adult man, hits me as I'm lying there on the wet mattress.
'Whack. Whack. Whack. He hits my sister too. But I'm the oldest, I'm supposed to be responsible so I get it the hardest.
'Then, after about 30 seconds of terror, he leaves. We're left with red marks on our arms and legs where we've tried to defend ourselves against the blows.'
Rebel said she and her sister blamed themselves, as she remembered thinking, 'Our dad loves us, but we're just too naughty this time. We went really overboard trying to cool ourselves. We deserve this.'
The Pitch Perfect star added that his anger would often come back 'in flashes' randomly.
'He could be fine for days at a time, sometimes weeks. But the anger would always bubble up,' she continued.
She also spoke about another time when he 'threatened to kill her' after she lost a local talent show at age 12.
On the way home from the competition, she said she asked her dad if they could stop and get a Slurpee, and her request set him off.
'He whips around violently like he might actually choke me, then and there. He's furious,' she recalled. 'It's like a switch has flipped.' She's seen as a teen
'Dad turns around from the driver's seat and grabs my leg as I sit in the back. Suddenly, red-faced giant is back,' Rebel explained.
'"Shut up. Shut up. You're not getting a Slurpee," he spews from his clenched jaw. He shakes a bit as if the fury overtakes him as it tries to escape his body.
'"I just really felt like a Slurpee," I say sadly, more to myself than anything as we pass the entrance to the 7-Eleven.'
She said her dad then told her, 'I'm going to choke you and kill you if you say one more thing, I'm going to throttle you.'
'He whips around violently like he might actually choke me, then and there. He's furious,' she continued.
'It's like a switch has flipped. He's trying to grab me again but then the traffic starts to move and he has to drive forward.
'The green light saves me. Otherwise, would he literally have tried to choke me?'
Rebel's dad passed away from a heart attack in 2013. She told People in an interview while discussing the book that she believed the way he treated her lead to her 'not having good self-worth.'
But she said she 'forgave him,' adding, 'It is easier because he's passed away. I wonder whether I would've had the courage to do it if he was still here.'
As for her mom, the Isn't It Romantic alum described her as a 'warrior woman' and a 'dedicated, loving mother who gave her all to her children.'
Miserable behind the scenes: Rebel said was struggled immensely with her 'loneliness' as she was skyrocketed into the spotlight after Bridesmaids - and only had $60 to live on despite the film's success
Rebel described the time after she starred in Bridesmaids (seen) as 'one of the loneliest years of her life'
In addition, the actress revealed that she was only paid $3,500 for her role, which left her with barely enough money to get by, as she said she had only $60 to live on per week
Rebel was skyrocketed into the spotlight after she starred in the Judd Apatow film Bridesmaids in 2011.
The movie was a massive success and concreted her status as a Hollywood star, but in her memoir, she admitted that her life wasn't as glamorous as it seemed at the time.
In fact, she admitted that while her 'experience' on set was 'everything,' she described the time after the film as 'one of the loneliest years of her life.'
She explained that she had just moved to LA from Australia and 'didn't really know anyone' and that she struggled to make friends.
'People think it's glamorous moving to Hollywood. I thought it would be too ... but the reality was, I was living by myself in a one-bedroom apartment,' she shared.
She added that she had been so focused on 'making it as an actress' that she hadn't dated anyone, but that she 'yearned for love;' she also credited her weight with negatively impacting her outlook on romance.
'I had built up and carefully maintained this barrier around me - this barrier of [being] fat,' she explained.
'It said, "Don't you come near me, romantic partners. No, no. This is a closed shop. I can be your fat funny friend, that's a role I'm comfortable with. But I will not have romantic distractions."
'I did not want a partner who, like my father and mother's relationship, might come into my life only to destroy me. I was so f**king lonely though.'
In addition, the actress revealed that she was only paid $3,500 for her role, which left her with barely enough money to get by, as she said she had only $60 to live on per week after paying rent and bills.
Forced to stay big: The star claimed her Pitch Perfect contract said she wasn't allowed to lose weight, and that her agents convinced her not to slim down since she was known as the 'fat, funny girl'
Just before landing her role in Pitch Perfect, she revealed in her book that she had decided she wanted to shed some pounds after suffering from immense back pain
But she said she was told she wouldn't be allowed to lose weight if she wanted to star in the film because her 'contract said that she wasn't allowed to drastically change her appearance'
Soon after Bridesmaids, Rebel was cast as Fat Amy in the wildly popular flick Pitch Perfect.
But just before landing the role, she revealed in her book that she had decided she wanted to shed some pounds after suffering from immense back pain.
She scored a deal with weight loss company Jenny Craig, and had already dropped 22 pounds on the program when she started filming Pitch Perfect.
Rebel said that as her career soared, her agents would advise against her losing weight because they didn't want her to 'lose' the 'valuable pigeonhole' that she had created for herself as the 'fat, funny girl.' She's seen in 2017
But she said this was a problem, and that she was told she wouldn't be allowed to lose weight if she wanted to star in the film.
'My Pitch perfect contract stated that I wasn't allowed to drastically change my appearance for the entirety of the shoot, including potential reshoots up to a whole year later,' she wrote.
'It meant my weight couldn't fluctuate more than 10 pounds either way from when I was cast in the movie. "Oh crap. I better start eating donuts," I thought.'
Rebel said that as her career soared, her agents would advise against her losing weight because they didn't want her to 'lose' the 'valuable pigeonhole' that she had created for herself as the 'fat, funny girl.'
And she admitted that being known for her size made her relationship with her body and food extremely complicated.
'People would see me being this confident big girl, [who] didn't seem to be restricted by being a big girl,' she explained.
'But then, what they wouldn't see is, you know, after a movie premiere coming home and just eating a couple brownies and a couple cupcakes and then a big plate of ice cream and then feeling terrible about myself for doing that.'
Shocking allegations against Sacha Baron Cohen: Rebel accused her Grimsby costar of 'humiliating' her on set and asking her to 'stick her finger up his a**'
In the book, Rebel made a series of shocking accusations against Sacha Baron Cohen, claiming he 'humiliated' her and made her feel 'disrespected on set' of the 2016 film Grimsby
She alleged that Sacha once requested she 'stick her finger up his a**' because he thought it would make for a funny scene. They're seen together in the movie
In the book, Rebel made a series of shocking accusations against Sacha, claiming he 'humiliated' her and made her feel 'disrespected on set' of the 2016 film Grimsby.
She alleged that Sacha once requested she 'stick her finger up his a**' because he thought it would make for a funny scene.
'I was scared. I wanted to get out of there, so I finally compromised: I slapped him on the ass and improvised a few lines as the character,' she wrote.
She said 'it felt like he had sexually harassed her,' adding, 'I felt completed disrespected, which led to me treating myself with even more disrespect by eating in an extremely unhealthy way.'
Rebel also claimed that during filming, Sacha would repeatedly 'mention that he wanted her to go naked in a future scene,' which she alleged was in 'no way essential' to the film's plot.
The said she only agreed to a sex scene with Sacha after several rewrites and recalled allegedly telling the producers that she wouldn't be promoting the film ahead of its release.
However, newly emerged footage from the sex scene in the 2016 film seems to show that the action was part of the script and the actress was on board with the scene.
Several never-before-seen clips from the movie that failed to make the final cut were obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com and depict Rebel and Sarah's characters using a cellphone to film themselves getting intimate.
But never-before-seen footage of the intimate scene obtained by DailyMail.com shows she was meant to appear to put her finger in his rear as per the script
Sascha has strenuously denied her claims. His rep said in a statement afterwards, 'These demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence'
In the clips, Rebel can be heard discussing the scene while on camera but out of character, telling Sacha: 'I'll do a slap [of your butt] and I'll do a – going down the crack,' to which he replied: 'It's almost as if you're going to ram your fingers inside,' prompting her to answer, 'Yeah.'
However, in a statement given to DailyMail.com, Rebel doubled down on her book's description of Sacha as an 'a**hole'.
'It is an a**hole move to release footage of one part of that disgusting episode while leaving out everything that preceded it including my horrified refusal to stick my finger up SBC's butt,' she said.
'This could not have possibly been for the film as the director Louis Leterrier was not even present,' she claimed.
'What this edited video shows is what I had to do in order to get out of the room, as written in Rebel Rising.
'Releasing unauthorized and misleading behind the scenes video without my approval is SBC's latest way of bullying and gaslighting me.'
Sascha has strenuously denied her claims. His rep said in a statement afterwards, 'While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of Grimsby.'
Spilling the tea on other stars: The Pitch Perfect alum said she thinks Adele 'hates' her because of her weight, theorizing that the musician worried her 'fatness would rub off on her'
Rebel also said in her book that she believed musician Adele 'hated' her because of her weight, writing, 'As if my fatness might rub off on her if I were near her for more than 30 seconds'
Rebel was fiercely honest about her experience with other stars throughout the book.
And in one particularly shocking part, she admitted that she believed musician Adele 'hated' her because of her weight.
'Some actresses would get offended if I called them plus-size in this book, so I have to be careful with what I say. This is why, I think, Adele hates me,' she wrote.
'There was a moment when she was bigger, and some people would confuse us for one another.'
While Rebel said she never actually asked Adele if she had a problem with her, she noted that the singer would often 'quickly' turn away if she saw her approaching at an award show.
'As if my fatness might rub off on her if I were near her for more than 30 seconds,' she scathed. 'She didn't like being compared to Fat Amy.'
Explosive sex admissions: Rebel revealed that she lost her virginity to actor and comedian Mickey Gooch Jr. at age 35 - and he didn't know it was her first time
In the book, Rebel made the surprising admission that she lost her virginity at age 35 with actor and comedian Mickey Gooch Jr.
She also confessed that Mickey - son of multimillionaire banker Michael Gooch, founder of the $700 million GFI Group - didn't know it was her first time
In the book, Rebel made the surprising admission that she lost her virginity at age 35 with actor and comedian Mickey Gooch Jr.
She explained that one of the reasons she waited so long to have sex was because she believed that 'as a big girl, no one would ever truly found her sexually attractive.'
She also confessed that Mickey - son of multimillionaire banker Michael Gooch, founder of the $700 million GFI Group - didn't know it was her first time.
The actress said it happened in a room at the Greenwich Hotel in New York while she was filming the 2016 movie How To Be Single - a film which aspiring actor Mickey also ended landing a small role in.
She explained that she became motivated to have sex after learning her mother had breast cancer
'Life is short. I didn't want to live my life without experiencing sex. Experiencing love,' she explained.
'I put it out into the universe that I was finally ready. I was going to feel the fear and just do it.
'I was going to slut it up with the next guy that came along - who also seemed like a suitable marriage candidate.'
They were together for six months in total before the relationship ended when Mickey, who had told her he's had previous stints in rehab, relapsed
She added that a mutual friend had set her and Mickey up, and that she was immediately smitten with the 'chiseled' and 'sexy' actor.
They dated for a month before they slept together, and she even admitted that she watched porn the night before and used a vibrator 'in preparation.'
They were together for six months in total before the relationship ended when Mickey, who had told her he's had previous stints in rehab, relapsed.
While she vowed to support him as he began his attempt to get sober, she added that waited a year to see if he could get clean before deciding it was best to move on.
She admitted in her capacity as a role model to young people she knew she couldn't date someone who was an addict.
The pair have remained friends, as Mickey shared a throwback photo of the pair in 2021 and called her 'the most beautiful girl he knew inside and out.'
The actress told People that she wanted to be open about her sexual history in her new book in the hopes that it will help young people learn that 'not everybody has to lose their virginity as a teenager.'
'People can wait till they're ready or wait till they're a bit more mature,' she said. 'I think that could be a positive message.
'You obviously don't have to wait until you're in your 30s like me, but you shouldn't feel pressure as a young person.'
Her candid revelations about love: The actress struck up a 'situation-ship' with a famous female tennis player - whose identity she decided to keep secret
Rebel (seen playing tennis) revealed that she had a 'situation-ship' with an unnamed female tennis player that changed everything for her
Afterwards, the internet scrambled to try to figure out who she was talking about, but she slammed them for trying to identify her secret athlete lover
In her tome, Rebel opened up about her 'rollercoaster' dating life and quest to find love.
And she spoke about one particular 'situation-ship' with an unnamed female tennis player that changed everything for her.
'I felt so invested in [that relationship] and even thought at one point, "Oh, I could give up my career for this person and travel around the world on the tennis circuit,"' she admitted.
Rebel is now engaged to Ramona Agruma, who she started dating in 2021
'I describe it as cracking open my heart. Like you could open a fresh can of tennis balls… that's what it did to me.
'And, I guess, when I saw people write love songs or poetry about love, I was like, "Oh, that's nice." But I don't think I'd ever understood that until I felt that for a person.'
She said she had only been linked to guys before that, and that she never felt 'invested' in any of those relationships.
'It could have been that just the guys I was dating just weren't the one. Or that, also, I wasn't open to intimacy that much back then, so I never allowed myself to feel real feelings,' she added. 'And then the first time was with the tennis player.'
Afterwards, the internet scrambled to try to figure out who she was talking about, but she slammed them for trying to identify her secret athlete lover.
'Please stop speculating about the "tennis player" in my book' she wrote on Instagram.
'It is NOT anyone I follow on social media or have been publicly photographed with.'
Rebel is now engaged to Ramona Agruma, who she started dating in 2021.
Her fertility struggles and weight loss: Rebel revealed she shed 80 pounds in 2020 after a doctor told her she needed to slim down to improve her chances of getting pregnant
Throughout the book, Rebel spoke in detail about her 80 pound weight loss in 2020. She's seen left in 2021 and right in 2015
She explained that she decided to slim down after a fertility doctor told she would have a better chance of getting pregnant if she were 'healthier.' She's seen in 2020
Throughout the book, Rebel spoke in detail about her 80 pound weight loss in 2020, explaining that she decided to slim down after a fertility doctor told she would have a better chance of getting pregnant if she were 'healthier.'
'That hit me like running into the sharp corner of a kitchen counter in the middle of the night (whilst searching for ice cream),' she recalled. 'It hit me right in the gut.'
She said she weighed 225 pounds at the time and that while she was 'fat,' she still considered herself 'healthy' because she 'went to the gym.'
She added that she had 'tried so many times in the past' to lose weight and it never 'worked.'
'I'd try for a few weeks and successfully lose like 10 pounds or so, and then it would always come back - sometimes with interest,' she explained.
But determined to become a mother, Rebel said she hired a trainer and exercised for two hours every day - an hour 'focused on strength and conditioning' and an hour 'on her own' doing cardio.
'There was no magic pill or some exact diet program to follow - so please don't get suckered into the diet industry's fads,' she wrote.
But determined to become a mother, Rebel said she hired a trainer (seen) and exercised for two hours every day - an hour 'focused on strength and conditioning' and an hour doing cardio
While reflecting on her transformation, Rebel admitted in her book that it felt like people paid more attention to her body than her career. She's seen working out in 2020
She welcomed her daughter, Royce Lillian Elizabeth Wilson, via surrogate in November 2022
'It was simply following common sense and making healthy changes to my lifestyle as a whole.
'I couldn't eliminate sugar, but I'd try to eat only small amounts to avoid it late at night.'
The actress also confirmed to The Sunday Times while discussing the book that she tried using Ozempic during her weight loss journey.
'Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets, so I think those drugs can be good,' she said.
While reflecting on her transformation, Rebel admitted in her book that it felt like people paid more attention to her body than her career.
'Out of all the things I've achieved in my life, losing weight seems to garner the most attention,' she said.
She welcomed her daughter, Royce Lillian Elizabeth Wilson, via surrogate in November 2022.
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