Actress Gina Carano has announced that she is launching a lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm over her 2021 firing from the hit TV show The Mandalorian. The lawsuit is being funded by Elon Musk and X as part of the platform’s ongoing free speech efforts.
Today on X, Carano recounted how Lucasfilm terminated her contract after she was slapped with accusations that she had “denigrat[ed] people based on their cultural & religious identities” based on posts she had shared in accordance with her conservative values.
According to Carano: “Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is I was being hunted down from everything I posted to every post I liked because I was not in line with the acceptable narrative of the time. My words were consistently twisted to demonize & dehumanize me as an alt right wing extremist. It was a bullying smear campaign aimed at silencing, destroying & making an example out of me.”
Shortly after Carano announced her legal effort, Musk shared her comments and asked if anyone else wanted to join the lawsuit against Disney.
In August of 2023, Musk, a free speech absolutist, announced that X was going to start paying the legal bills of persons treated unfairly over posts or likes on his website. Carano replied to Musk on X, saying “I think I qualify.” Months later, Carano received an email from a lawyer hired by X offering to assist her in her case.
Some of the 2021 accusations against Carano included that she had compared being Republican to being Jewish during the Holocaust; that she was transphobic; and that she had wrongly criticized COVID-19 public health measures such as vaccine mandates, lockdowns, and masking.
At the time, #FireGinaCarano began trending on the platform with many social justice activists rejoicing in her eventual termination. But today’s lawsuit announcement has been met with overwhelming support, with political commentators and influencers alike applauding Carano for taking a stand.
“Pumped for this. We are behind you one hundred percent,” posted well-known news satire account @Not_The_Bee.
“@StarWars ignored the thousands of thousands of death threats, threats of violence, and sexual abuse sent to Gina Carano for months before they fired her. Here’s just a sample,” posted X user @Dataracer117, along with screenshots of the abuse Carano had been targeted with.
“Yes! Get them!” posted comedian Tim Young.
