Three years after being ousted from her role in the Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian, actress Gina Carano is suing Disney for wrongful termination. Carano, who portrayed the character Cara Dune in the series, revealed the lawsuit on Twitter, stating that tech mogul Elon Musk backs her legal battle against Disney.
The reason for Carano’s dismissal dates back to February 2021, when she faced severe backlash for a social media post equating the Holocaust to the US political climate. The controversial remarks led to the trending hashtag #fireginacarano. Subsequently, Lucasfilm, a Disney subsidiary and the production company behind The Mandalorian severed ties with Carano, citing her posts as “abhorrent and unacceptable.”
Carano’s lawsuit targets The Walt Disney Company, Lucasfilm, and Huckleberry Industries, alleging wrongful termination based on sex and political views. The legal action asserts that Disney enforced a singular orthodoxy, stifling dissenting voices.
The lawsuit highlights comments from former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who stated that Carano was let go because she didn’t align with company values, described as universal values of respect, decency, integrity, and inclusion.
The legal filing argues that while Carano faced consequences for not embracing an “extreme progressive ideology,” her male co-stars, including Pedro Pascal, who compared President Donald Trump to Hitler, were not subjected to the same scrutiny. The lawsuit seeks Carano’s reinstatement, compensatory damages exceeding $75,000, emotional damages, punitive damages, legal costs, and a trial by jury.
Notably, Carano disclosed that Elon Musk is financing her legal case, stating that Musk and Twitter (referred to as X) are supporting her pursuit of free speech rights and protection against bullying, harassment, or discrimination. Musk’s commitment to free speech is underscored by his platform’s financial backing of Carano’s lawsuit.