Actress Gina Carano has taken legal action against Disney and Lucasfilm following her dismissal in 2021 due to a controversial social media post where she likened being a Republican to experiencing persecution as a Jew during the Holocaust.
Elon Musk is backing Carano’s lawsuit, encouraging others to participate through his platform X.
If you were discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries (ABC, ESPN, Marvel, etc), just reply to this post to receive legal support https://t.co/PDqCgJKAY5
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2024
Carano is seeking $75,000 in damages and requesting Lucasfilm to reconsider casting her.
Spokespersons for the defendants were not reachable for comment immediately.
Carano, known for her role as Cara Dune in the first two seasons of Disney+’s The Mandalorian, frequently engaged in online disputes with individuals on the left.
However, after sharing a post on Instagram in February 2021 drawing parallels between the Nazi persecution of Jews and the treatment of Republicans today, critics demanded her termination.
“Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews,” Carano’s post stated.
“How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?”
On the same day as the post, Lucasfilm and UTA, her talent agency, severed ties with her.
Lucasfilm explained in a statement that her social media comments, which denigrated people based on cultural and religious identities, were unacceptable.
Carano’s lawsuit, filed in California federal court, accuses Disney of responsibility for her agency’s decision to drop her.
The civil suit, spanning 59 pages and filled with Star Wars references, alleges wrongful termination and retaliation.
According to Carano, she was dismissed for expressing her opinions and challenging online harassment.
The lawsuit contends that Carano was treated differently from two male co-stars who also made remarks online about Republicans, yet faced no consequences.
Carano, in a statement on X, described enduring a “bullying smear campaign” aimed at silencing her.
Today is an important day for me–I am filing a lawsuit against @lucasfilm & @Disney
After my 20 years of building a career from scratch, and during the regime of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Lucasfilm made this statement on Twitter, terminating me from The Mandalorian: “Gina…— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) February 6, 2024
She emphasized that artists retain their rights as American citizens when they enter employment agreements, expressing gratitude to Musk and her supporters.
Musk, expressing support, urged others to consider joining the legal action against Disney.
His company stated they are “proud” to support Carano’s lawsuit as part of their commitment to free speech.
