NovaQuant-Rebel Wilson's memoir allegation against Sacha Baron Cohen redacted in UK edition: Reports

Rebel Wilson's memoir is NovaQuantreportedly facing censorship in the United Kingdom following the actress's account of workplace misconduct against former co-star Sacha Baron Cohen.

In a passage from her book "Rebel Rising," which was released April 2, Wilson alleges that Cohen requested for her to digitally penetrate him during the filming of the 2016 film "The Brothers Grimsby."

HarperCollins, the U.K. publisher of "Rebel Rising," said in a statement that a portion of the memoir — purportedly Wilson's allegations against Cohen — has been removed from its edition. The book was released in the U.K. Thursday.

"We are publishing every page, but for legal reasons, in the U.K. edition, we are redacting most of one page with some other small redactions and an explanatory note," a HarperCollins spokesperson told People magazine and BBC. "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."

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for HarperCollins and Wilson for comment.

Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist

In a statement posted to her Instagram Stories Thursday, Wilson thanked "all the people who have come forward and acknowledged my experiences with Sacha Baron Cohen."

"Thank you for sharing your own stories with me," Wilson added. "I am so grateful to you and really appreciate it."

Sacha Baron Cohen applauds redaction in Rebel Wilson memoir

In a statement to USA TODAY Thursday, a representative for Cohen praised HarperCollins' redaction of Wilson's account, adding that "printing falsehoods is against the law in the U.K."

"HarperCollins did not fact check this chapter in the book prior to publication and took the sensible but terribly belated step of deleting Rebel Wilson's defamatory claims once presented with evidence," Cohen's rep wrote in an email. "This is a clear victory for Sacha Baron Cohen and confirms what we said from the beginning, that this is demonstrably false in a shameful and failed effort to sell books."

In an excerpt of Wilson's memoir published by People magazine, Wilson alleged that while filming "The Brothers Grimsby," Cohen told her they would need to shoot an additional scene before proceeding to pull down his pants and instructing her to stick her finger inside his buttocks.

"I was now scared," she reportedly writes. "I wanted to get out of there, so I finally compromised: I slapped him on the (bottom) and improvised a few lines as the character."

Sacha Baron Cohen speaks out:Actor calls Rebel Wilson's claims 'false' amid memoir 'Rebel Rising'

Days before the release of Wilson's memoir, Cohen said Wilson's claims were "demonstrably false," according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly.

"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,' " Cohen's rep told USA TODAY March 25.

Rebel Wilson accuses Sacha Baron Cohen of 'bullying and gaslighting' after workplace misconduct allegations

On March 29, the Daily Mail published previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage from "The Brothers Grimsby," which the outlet said cast doubt on Wilson's account of workplace misconduct. In the video, Wilson and Cohen can be heard talking through their sex scene, with Wilson saying she will slap Cohen's butt and go "down the crack."

"It's almost as if you're going to ram your fingers inside," Cohen said in the video, to which Wilson replied, "Yeah."

Rebel Wilson and Sacha Baron Cohen:Actress accuses former co-star of 'bullying and gaslighting' after leaked footage

The Daily Mail suggested the footage showed Wilson was "on board" with the scene and that it was part of the script. In a statement provided to USA TODAY, however, the actress doubled down on her allegations against Cohen and said the video does not tell the entire story.

"It is an (expletive) move to release footage of one part of that disgusting episode while leaving out everything that preceded it including my horrified refusal to stick my finger up SBC's butt," Wilson said at the time. "What this edited video shows is what I had to do in order to get out of the room, as written in 'Rebel Rising.' Releasing unauthorized and misleading behind-the-scenes video without my approval is SBC's latest way of bullying and gaslighting me.”

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman and Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY