Shakira refutes allegations after being mentioned in Rebel Wilson’s lawsuit against ‘The Deb’ producers

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Shakira has refuted any involvement in the ongoing legal dispute between Rebel Wilson and the makers of her directorial debut, 'The Deb'.

Wilson, 44, has responded to Amanda Ghost, Vince Holden, and Cameron Gregor's defamation lawsuit, and accused Ghost of misconduct as well, as reported by Us Weekly on Friday, October 4.

Rebel Wilson claims Shakira 'faced troubling experiences' with producer

Rebel Wilson has retaliated against the producers of 'The Deb', Amanda Ghost, Vince Holden, and Cameron Gregor, alleging a "troubling pattern" of "theft, bullying and misconduct".

She also said that Shakira, 47, and other musicians "faced troubling experiences" with Ghost, adding that the producer "aggressively coerced her way into claiming ownership of songs that were not rightfully hers."

Shakira, however, refuted the claims.

Shakira said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, "I have been friends with Amanda for more than 15 years, have written songs together and share respect and love for each other."

"We have never argued and I am confused and disappointed that someone randomly has suggested otherwise," she added.

For her part, Ghost has not responded to Wilson's accusations in the media.

Rebel Wilson accuses 'The Deb' producers of 'bad behavior'

Amanda Ghost and two other producers filed a defamation lawsuit against Rebel Wilson in July, alleging that the 'Bridesmaids' actress had tried to “bully” them into "conceding to her unreasonable demands by spreading vicious lies without regard for the irreparable damage her reckless words would cause."

At the time, Wilson refuted the claims. "These f**k wit ‘producers’ are trying to file a defamation case claiming all sorts of rubbish. They’ve been called out for their bad behavior and now they file a defamation claim," she stated on Instagram.

Wilson's lawyers filed a countersuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on September 26, alleging that the three producers' actions on set "was marked by a troubling pattern of egregious and illicit behaviors, including theft, bullying and misconduct."

Wilson's legal representative filed a complaint alleging that the three stole $900,000 in Australian currency from the film's budget, forced her to sign contracts related to the production under duress, and harassed the lead actress in 'The Deb' with inappropriate advances that led her "to suffer a breakdown," as reported by People.

Wilson added that since October 2023, the three producers have been "intimidating and bullying to silence her."

In the updated filing, Wilson's legal team claimed that the three producers tried "intimidation and bullying to silence [Wilson] and evade accountability."

Furthermore, Wilson claimed that ahead of starting work on 'The Deb' with Ghost, she particularly "failed to disclose her extensive history of seedy practices and unethical behavior."

'The Deb' producers sue Rebel Wilson for defamation

The cross-complaint was filed after Amanda Ghost, Vince Holden, and Cameron Gregor sued Rebel Wilson for defamation in July following Wilson's initial accusations of harassment and theft in an Instagram video.

The trio filed a defamation lawsuit in Los Angeles against Wilson on July 12, claiming that Wilson was trying to stop the movie from having its global premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and accusing them of engaging in "bad behavior" on the set.

The producers claimed that Wilson sought co-writing credit and rights to 'The Deb's original music and that they tried to have the film pulled from TIFF because "it was embroiled in numerous credit and licensing disputes instigated by Rebel."

"This was a vindictive attempt to destroy [the producers’] reputations with what she knew were demonstrably false statements," the complaint added.

'The Deb' lead actress Charlotte MacInnes said in a statement that "there is no truth to the allegations", labeling Wilson's accusations as "fabricated".