Rebel Wilson Apologizes for Saying She Is “First Plus-Sized Girl” to Lead a Rom-Com
Rebel Wilson has issued a full-throated apology after mistakenly calling herself the first plus-sized woman to star in a romantic comedy. “With the help of some very compassionate and well-thought out responses from others on social media,” Wilson wrote, “I now realize what I said was not only wrong but also incredibly hurtful.”
She fleshed out her remarks in three tweets, first acknowledging the plus-sized actresses who’ve starred in rom-coms before her, a list that includes Mo’Nique and Queen Latifah. Wilson also apologized for blocking several people on social media who criticized her, a mini-scandal that began after users noted she was mostly blocking people of color—especially prominent black Twitter users.
“I was hurting from the criticism, but those are the people I actually need to hear from more, not less,” she said. “Again, I am deeply sorry.”
The actress, who’s starring in the upcoming Isn’t It Romantic, made her controversial comment during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on Halloween. “I’m proud to be the first-ever plus-sized girl to be the star of a romantic comedy,” she said.
Her remark was quickly picked up on social media, with users responding that actresses like Ricki Lake, Queen Latifah, and Mo’Nique had beaten her to the punch in films like Just Wright and Phat Girlz. Wilson initially tried to defend her stance with this bewildering explanation on Twitter: “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 catorgorized [sic]/billed as a studio rom-com with a sole lead. So there’s a slight grey area.”
Mo’Nique herself then responded to Wilson, urging the actress not 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. I wish you the best.”
Wilson apologized to Mo’Nique on Saturday, before eventually issuing her broader apology on Monday. Then, she presumably called up Sam Smith to swap notes on how he managed to muddle through a very similar gaffe.
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