Business

Gina Carano Says Disney Fired Her Over Political Views — And Is Suing With Help From Elon Musk

February 7, 2024

Topline

Actress Gina Carano announced Tuesday she was suing Disney and Lucasfilm for discrimination and wrongful termination, according to the Hollywood Reporter, alleging she was fired for “exercising (her) right to free speech”—and the lawsuit is funded by X and Elon Musk, who offered to pay legal fees for people fired for expressing controversial opinions on X.

Actress Gina Carano said in a post on X she was fired because of social media posts that were not … [+] “in line with the acceptable narrative of the time.” (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Carano said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she was fired from “The Mandalorian” by Lucasfilm and Disney after “20 years of building a career from scratch” after she posted things on the platform that were not “in line with the acceptable narrative of the time.”

The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California, alleges “wrongful discharge and sex discrimination” and asks for a court order requiring Lucasfilm to recast her and for at least $75,000 in damages, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Carano said her posts—one of which likened being a Republican in today’s political climate to being Jewish during the Holocaust—were “consistently twisted to demonize & dehumanize me as an alt right wing extremist,” adding she “never even used aggressive language.”

Musk hasn’t directly commented on Carano’s suit, but quote-tweeted her post on the platform Tuesday afternoon saying: “Please let us know if you would like to join the lawsuit against Disney.”

X said in a post it is “proud to provide financial support” for the lawsuit “as a sign of X Corp.’s commitment to free speech.”

Carano thanked Musk and X, saying in the post she wanted to “express my deepest gratitude & thank you” to them for “giving me an opportunity to bring my case to light,” adding she “look(s) forward to clearing my name.”

Forbes has reached out to Carano’s legal team for comment on the suit.

Crucial Quote

“Hollywood says they support female representation & equal rights,” Carano said in her post on X. “Why then were my male co-stars permitted to speak without harassment & re-education courses or termination, but I was not afforded the same right to exercise my freedom of speech.”

Key Background

In August, billionaire X owner Musk offered to pay legal fees for some people “unfairly treated” by their employers “due to posting or liking something on this platform.” He said there was “no limit” and added: “we won’t just sue, it will be extremely loud and we will go after the boards of directors of the companies too.” At the time, there were no details about how Musk defined “unfairly treated” or how people should contact Musk to get their cases covered, and not much has come out of the offer until Carano’s lawsuit. Since Musk took over X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022, the platform has undergone a number of changes, and its leader has maintained a focus on freedom of speech leading him to loosen X’s moderation policies and reinstate a number of banned accounts. Carano was fired back in 2021 after a series of controversial posts across social media. Lucasfilm released a statement saying “her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable,” according to NPR.

What We Don’t Know

How many other lawsuits Musk and X are helping prepare for wrongful termination. Carano’s is the first major suit to be brought and publicly credited to Musk since his offer in August.