“Like other mastheads do every day, we simply asked the questions and as standard practice included a deadline for a response.”
We would have asked the same questions had Wilson’s new partner been a man,” Shields wrote. “Our weekly Private Sydney celebrity column asked Wilson if she wished to comment about her new partner. Sydney Morning Herald editor Bevan Shields provided a statement on the matter Sunday morning, saying that “to say that the Herald ‘outed’ Rebel Wilson is wrong.” Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace 💗 “Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace,” Wilson wrote. On Sunday morning, Wilson seemed to corroborate that the Herald’s contact with her was not appropriate, responding to a post on Twitter that stated that the Herald “admitted to giving her a heads up 2 days in advance that they were going to ‘out’ her.”
The Sydney Morning Herald has denied a wave of criticism alleging that the Australian publication pressured Rebel Wilson into outing herself as LGBTQ by giving her a two-day deadline to comment on her current relationship, which she had not yet discussed publicly.