Rebel Wilson slammed for comment about plus-sized actors

Rebel Wilson. Photo / AP

Rebel Wilson is under fire for mistakenly claiming she is the first plus-sized woman to be the lead actress in a rom-com.

The Aussie star, 38, has a new movie coming out next year called Isn't It Romantic which is about a young woman disenchanted with love who mysteriously finds herself trapped inside a romantic comedy.

Wilson spoke about the upcoming film on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show last week and said, "I'm proud to be the first-ever plus-sized girl to be the star of a romantic comedy".

But viewers quickly took to Twitter to point out to Wilson that plus-sized stars Queen Latifah and Mo'Nique have both anchored rom-coms in the past.

Wilson responded to one of the tweets and stood by her claim.

Hey girl! 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/billed as a studio rom-com with a sole lead. So there’s a slight grey area

— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) November 1, 2018

Hey my sweet sister. Let’s please not 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. I wish you the best.

— Mo'Nique Worldwide (@moworldwide) November 3, 2018

Playwright Claire Willett also took issue with Wilson's statement and wrote a long thread about why her comments were harmful.

Wilson later replied, "Great points honey, thank you x will address when promoting the film in proper forums. I'm all about supporting plus size women and I work so hard to do so. I never want to disrespect anyone".

But Wilson then made matters worse by blocking people on Twitter who were pointed out her mistake, resulting in the hashtag #RebelWilsonBlockedMe.

::grin:: #RebelWilsonBlockedMe

(I didn't even say anything super harsh)

Where's the party? pic.twitter.com/piTogG707E

— Geek Girl Diva (@geekgirldiva) November 4, 2018

Ha ha! We serving mimosas at the #RebelWilsonBlockedMe meeting this morning? pic.twitter.com/xgXekYNUVD

— Rebecca Theodore-Vachon (@FilmFatale_NYC) November 4, 2018

I have been writing about body confidence and plus-size fashion for a decade. When I pointed out that Rebel Wilson is a problematic representative of body confidence given that she has built her career profiting from fat jokes, she blocked me lol. pic.twitter.com/sgneHLVmZe

— Jay Miranda (@jaymiranda_) November 4, 2018

Isn't It Romantic is due out on Valentine's Day next year.