ACTRESS Rebel Wilson said an Australian newspaper has put her in a “hard situation” after fans accused the publication of pressuring her to reveal her relationship with a woman.

The Pitch Perfect star posted an Instagram selfie with her “Disney Princess” partner on Friday, a day before the Sydney Morning Herald reported it knows about the relationship and gives Wilson two days to comment.

LGBTQIA+ activists and others on social media accused the paper of forcing Wilson – who has not publicly disclosed her sexuality – to out herself.

The Herald denied pressuring Wilson, saying that it “simply asked questions”.

Wilson, in her first comments on the controversy, yesterday responded to a Twitter user who accused the paper of giving a two-day notice that it will out the actress.

“It is a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace,” tweeted Wilson.

The Herald said its gossip columnist put questions to Wilson about her relationship “with an abundance of caution and respect”.

“Big mistake. Wilson opted to gazump the story, posting about her new ‘Disney Princess’ on Instagram early Friday morning,” wrote columnist Andrew Hornery in an article published on Saturday.

As outrage built on social media, Herald editor Bevan Shields defended the column.

“We would have asked the same questions had her new partner been a man,” he said.

This is not the first time Wilson sparred with the Australian media – she was awarded a record A$4.7 million (RM14.5 million) defamation payout in 2017, over a series of articles that claimed she lied about her name, age and childhood to get ahead in Hollywood.

After the magazine publisher successfully appealed, the award was revised to A$600,000. – AFP, June 13, 2022.