Actress Rebel Wilson Defends Claim She’s Related to Walt Disney, Discusses Club 33 Membership

Rebel Wilson, star of Pitch Perfect and the short-lived ABC sitcom Super Fun Night, is currently in Austrailian court suing the publishers of Woman’s Day magazine for defamation. The case stems from an article penned about the actress claiming she fibbed about various details of her life in order to get ahead in Hollywood. In turn, Wilson claims the piece damaged her career and caused several projects to fall through. As part of the court proceeding, Wilson was quizzed about one of the claims some find far-fetched: her relation to Walt Disney.

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The story goes that Wilson, born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds, is the great-niece or great-great-niece of Lillian Bounds, who became Lillian Disney when she married Walt. According to the Herald Sun, Wilson says the family later changed the spelling of their last name. However, lawyers for the magazine claim this tale came from Wilson’s grandmother who they say made it up likely due to Wilson’s obsession with the Disney animated films. In response, the Sydney Morning Herald notes Wilson asserted that her grandmother had drawn up a family tree in an effort to see if her grandchildren could claim royalties. Wilson defended her grandmother against allegations she had fabricated the connection, saying, “This wasn’t some story I concocted when I became an actress in 1999… I’m not sure why my nanna would make up such a story.”

In support of her claim, Wilson pointed to her history of Disney trips and her membership to the famed Club 33. As TVNZ reports, Wilson suggests her family relation to Walt may have been a factor in her obtaining an invitation to join the private club. Speaking about the 33, Wilson told the court, “Most people wouldn’t even know it exists.” The Daily Mail says she also submitted photos of her Disney parks visits as evidence in the case.

Interestingly, the actress had previously discussed her alleged relation to Disney and her experiences at Club 33 on an episode of The Graham Norton Show:

UPDATE (6/15/17): Rebel Wilson has now won her defamation case against the publishers of Women’s Day magazine. Outside of the courthouse after the verdict was announced, Wilson was once again asked by reporters about her alleged connection to Walt Disney. The actress said, “‘Obviously I’ve always believed I’m a distant relative of Walt Disney. It’s something my nanna has told me since when I can remember.” She also noted, “I was supposed to speak at the 50th anniversary of Club 33 tonight, but I had to let them know I’m still here.”