Rebel Wilson book with blacked-out text published in the United Kingdom

Australian actress Rebel Wilson’s autobiography was released in the UK, but a controversial passage has been removed.

Wilson’s accusations against Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen sparked a commotion in the US earlier this month when Rebel Rising was published.

The passage thought to be about him has been blacked out in the Thursday-released British edition of the book.

The text now includes a note stating that the redaction was undertaken “because of the peculiarities of the law in England and Wales.”

“We are publishing every page, but for legal reasons, in the UK edition, we are redacting the majority of one page with some other small redactions and an explanatory note,” a HarperCollins publisher spokeswoman told BBC News.

“Those sections are a very small part of a much bigger story and we’re excited for readers to know Rebel’s story when the book is released.”

There are redactions in other areas of the British version as well, but they are significantly shorter and consist just of the occasional sentence being deleted.

Furthermore, it has been stated that Australia and New Zealand removed the whole chapter, making the versions of the book published in those nations the most censored of all.

Wilson discussed her unpleasant experience working with Baron Cohen on the 2016 movie Grimsby in the book’s first edition.

In the British edition, a section about Sacha Baron Cohen has been removed

The comedian from Britain has angrily rejected any improper behaviour, claiming her account of the making of his 2016 movie Grimsby is “demonstrably false”.

According to Baron Cohen’s solicitors, the data demonstrates that her claims are a “cynical commercial ploy to promote her book” with “no basis in reality”.

His attorneys claim that the video evidence of the allegedly problematic sequence, along with the email correspondence, snippets of the screenplay, and testimony from the producers and crew, support their client’s position.

A spokesperson for Baron Cohen stated: “While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby.”

Outtake video footage from one of the instances she recounted was published by The Daily Mail. She said it was “bullying and gaslighting me” because the “unauthorised and misleading” film was released.

Negative evaluations

British critics have not yet given the book a positive assessment as a whole.

Emily Watkins of iNews gave it a two-star rating, saying it was “so poorly written it’s distracting”.

“While no one picks up a celebrity memoir expecting to be transported by its exquisite prose, I’m afraid that the writing in Rebel Rising verges on distracting,” she said.

“A shame, because Wilson’s life story is interesting and her voice is largely compelling,” she said in reference to the book’s “clangers.”

Watkins concluded, saying, “Rebel Rising will be a treat for fans of Wilson, like sitting opposite her with a glass of wine, despite my gripes about the writing, there’s no question that it feels conversational.” Conversely, less committed readers might end up needing more than one hard drink.”

Tim Robey from The Telegraph was likewise unenthusiastic, giving the book two stars and titled his review, “Chunks of Rebel Wilson’s book have been redacted – were they the funny bits?”

The British version of the book, according to him, was a “potpourri of weak jokes and self-indulgence”.

“Rebel Rising has a frankness that’s sometimes not to its benefit,” Robey stated. “Old diary entries concerning Wilson’s erratic weight and resolve to’make her own fate’ are included by Wilson; they read like Bridget Jones if Helen Fielding had lost her touch.

“Still, there’s a bravery to flapping them around in public, which goes hand-in-hand with Wilson’s look-no-filter persona.”