Rebel Wilson Apologizes After Comment Saying She's The First Plus-Size Actress In A Rom-Com

rebel wilson in isn't it romantic

Rebel Wilson has been out and about lately promoting her new flick Isn't It Romantic. The new movie is a rom-com that pokes fun at traditional rom-com tropes and Wilson plays the lead character in the movie. However, she came under fire recently for stating she's "the first plus-sized girl to be the star of a romantic comedy." Now, she's apologizing for her former words, taking to Twitter to note:

In a couple of well-intentioned moments, hoping to lift my fellow plus-sized women up, I neglected to show the proper respect to those who climbed this mountain before me like Mo'Nique, Queen Latifah, Melissa McCarthy, Ricki Lake and likely many others.

Recently, Rebel Wilson dressed up for Halloween and popped over to The Ellen Show, where she and Ellen DeGeneres shared a few laughs and talked about Isn't It Romantic. Most of the conversation was innocuous, but then she mentioned that she was the first woman who identifies as plus-size starring in a romantic comedy, also noting she has been "proud" of the accomplishment. People who saw the episode called Wilson out soon after on social media, mentioning some of the ladies above. You can take a look at the full clip, below.

Rebel Wilson actually eventually had a conversation about the topic with Mo'Nique on Twitter, where the two discussed the nature of being plus-size in Hollywood. Soon after the conversation, Rebel Wilson took to the social media site to talk more about the debate, her response and her feelings on the matter, noting,

With the help of some very compassionate and well-thought out responses from others on social media, I now realize what I said was not only wrong but also incredibly hurtful. To be part of a problem I was hoping I was helping makes it that much more embarrassing & hard to acknowledge. I blocked people on Twitter because I was hurting from the criticism, but those are the people I actually need to hear from more, not less. Again, I am deeply sorry.

When Isn't It Romantic hits theaters next year, it will join a set of romantic comedies that do star women of all shapes and sizes. (It will also reunite Rebel Wilson and Adam DeVine on the big screen, but that's a story for a different day.) Rebel Wilson will be following in the footsteps of women like Just Wright's Queen Latifah with her latest project, and while she might not be the first plus-size woman to step into the genre, hopefully she will make her own mark.

If you are a sucker for rom-coms, you'll be able to catch Isn't It Romantic when it hits theaters on February 14, 2019. The movie will be one of the flicks competing for attention during the Valentine's Day holiday next year, with Happy Death Day 2U and Alita: Battle Angel also coming out that week. We'll keep you updated in regards to how each of those fares on that traditional date weekend and to see what all is hitting the schedule next year, be sure to take a look at our full guide.

Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.