As a result of her firing from the set of The Mandalorian, actress and former MMA Gina Carano is suing both Disney and Lucasfilm. This is in retaliation for discrimination and wrongful termination in a lawsuit over political views.
Carano filed in California federal court that she was removed for voicing right-wing opinions on social media, specifically X (formerly Twitter), seeking an order that would force Lucasfilm to recast her. To make good on the promise of free speech to all users on his platform, Elon Musk stated he would foot the legal bill.
Joe Benarroch, head of X business operations, made a statement saying, “As a sign of X Corp’s commitment to free speech, we’re proud to provide financial support for Gina Carano’s lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination.”
Lucasfilm announced Carano’s termination in 2021, stating the actress would not return to the popular series after sharing one of her controversial posts. It read, “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. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?”
It represented the latest in a long line of posts in which Carano drew immense controversy on social media for positions observed as radical right-wing. Her other opinions included mocking government mandates to wear masks during COVID-19 and suggesting voter fraud occurred during the 2020 presidential election. Carano was also dropped by the United Talent Agency (UTA) following the comments.
Carano clarified her post on X, saying “My words were consistently twisted to demonize & dehumanize me as an alt right wing extremist.”
According to this, Disney and Lucasfilm defamed and harassed Carano in order to get her to conform with their viewpoints on issues relating to disproven claims of election interference, preferred pronouns, and Black Lives Matter. Although she was seemingly fired for her cultural and religious ideologies, Carano argues that the entertainment industry turned a blind eye to her male co-stars, who made offensive posts against Republicans. She specifically compared a post from Pedro Pascal in 2017 comparing President Donald Trump to Hitler.
Info from The Hollywood Reporter regarding the lawsuit says Disney required that Carano, who was paid $25,000 per episode as a guest actor, and who negotiated a one-time bonus of $5,000, meet with representatives of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination to demand a public apology.
“Defendants went so far as to try and convince Carano’s publicist to force Carano to issue a statement admitting to mocking or insulting an entire group of people, which Carano had never done,” the complaint states.
After refusing, Carano was ordered to meet with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and some 45 employees identifying as LGBTQ+. Because she declined, she was terminated from The Mandalorian, in addition to other titles in the Disney Star Wars universe, like Rangers of the New Republic.
Carano went on to claim that Disney engaged in a “smear campaign” after her termination, citing the sudden removal of an episode she was set to appear in of Running Wild With Bear Grylls in an “effort to malign” her. Although the episode aired eventually, Disney allegedly omitted mention of her likeness and name in promotional materials.
“Some of us have been unjustly singled out, harassed, persecuted and had our livelihoods stripped away because we dared to encourage conversation, asked questions, and refused to go along with the mob,” she said in a statement.
The lawsuit blames Disney’s termination of Carano as the cause for UTA and her lawyer dropping her as a client.
Carano is also claiming sex discrimination in a court order that would require Lucasfilm recast her and pay a minimum of $75,000 including punitive damages.
At-will employees in the private sector are not protected by discipline under the First Amendment.
In response to X funding the lawsuit, Carano expressed praise, saying “I am honored that my case has been chosen to be supported by the company that has been one of the last glimmers of hope for free speech in the world.”
Musk, the CEO of X, pledged to all his users that he would finance legal action for those who have faced discrimination over their activity on the platform. The offer comes with “no limit” on costs, and Musk went as far as to state he would “go after the boards of directors of the companies.”
When questioned by CNBC during The Walt Disney Company’s fourth-quarter earnings call with investors on thoughts regarding Musk backing the suit and it opening room for others, CEO Bob Iger simply said “none.”
