REBEL WILSON (nee Melanie Elizabeth Bownds) born on this date, is an Australian actress and producer. After graduating from the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2003, Wilson began appearing in the SBS comedy series Pizza (2003–2007) and later appeared in the sketch comedy show The Wedge (2006–2007). She wrote, produced and starred in the musical comedy series Bogan Pride (2008). Shortly after moving to the United States, Wilson appeared in the comedy films Bridesmaids and A Few Best Men, both in 2011.
In 2012, Wilson appeared in the comedy films What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Struck by Lightning, and Bachelorette. Wilson wrote and starred in Super Fun Night (2013), a television sitcom that aired for one season on ABC. She gained wider recognition for her role in the musical comedy Pitch Perfect film series.
In 2019, Wilson had her first lead roles in the comedies Isn’t It Romantic and The Hustle, and also had a supporting role in the comedy drama Jojo Rabbit. In 2022, she starred in the Netflix comedy film Senior Year, also serving as a producer.
In 2024, Wilson stated that she was a virgin until the age of 35. As her 40th birthday approached, Wilson made the decision to freeze her eggs, which spurred on her effort to make healthy life changes. She has polycystic ovarian syndrome, and suffers from emotional eating due to pressures of fame. In November 2022, she announced on Instagram the birth of her first child, a daughter born via surrogacy.
Wilson publicly came out as being in a same-sex relationship on Instagram in June 2022, revealing her relationship with Ramona Agruma while posting on Instagram, “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess.” She chose to announce her relationship with Agruma to pre-empt an article by Andrew Hornery of The Sydney Morning Herald that would have outed her. While Herald editor Bevan Shields initially defended Hornery in the face of widespread backlash, denying they were outing her, Hornery later admitted to having made mistakes, and the original article was deleted. In a tweet i February 2023, Wilson confirmed her engagement to Agruma. The couple married in September 2024.
An advocate for body positivity, Wilson has been a role model for larger women. “There’s a lot of pressure on women, especially younger women, to conform to the thin body image,” she told the Associated Press. “Not everyone can be that way and no one should be ashamed of how they look or suffer bullying and other forms of abuse because of their size and shape.”
Throughout her career, Wilson has been known for her plus-sized figure and would often play to it in her acting work with characters such as “Fat Amy”. In a 2013 interview with Hunger Magazine, Wilson stated: “As long as I look like this, I’m going to make fat jokes. All comedians have to use their physicality, so I use my size.” Wilson said that her agency signed her almost on the spot because they had nobody on their books like her.