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Former Mandalorian actor Gina Carano is taking legal action against Disney and Lucasfilm, alleging discrimination and wrongful termination due to her right-wing opinions on social media.
The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, seeks a court order for Lucasfilm to recast her role and at least $75,000 in damages, with financial support for the legal proceedings provided by Elon Musk's X Corp. Carano claims she was harassed for her cultural and religious beliefs, accusing Disney of a "post-termination smear campaign" and a biased approach to social and political issues.
Carano embraced COVID-19 conspiracies early on during the COVID-19 pandemic and angered Star Wars fans after she shared transphobic and antisemitic material on her social media feed, at one point comparing "hating someone for their political views" to the mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust."
Carano's behavior proved such a public relations nightmare Disney and Lucasfilm dropped her and their plans to give her her own Star Wars spinoff.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, announcing the lawsuit, Carano said she was unjustly targeted for encouraging conversation and questioning mainstream narratives:
"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 [and] dehumanize me as an alt right wing extremist. It was a bullying smear campaign aimed at silencing, destroying [and] making an example out of me."
"The thing is I never even used aggressive language. I shared thought provoking quotes, pictures, memes [and] occasionally I used my own words, not with aggression but with respect [and] the occasional comedy to keep the mood light in dark times." ...
"Artists do not sign away our rights as American citizens when we enter into employment. I have spoken to all my co-stars since I was fired [and] there is nothing but care and kind words between us. I respect their right to free speech [and] do not have to think the same on every issue to be their friends [and] work with them [and] I know they feel the same towards me."
You can see her post below.
Carano noted that "a couple of months ago" Musk tweeted "that if you had been fired from using the platform (X) for exercising your right to free speech, he would like to offer these people legal representation." She called it "a noble offer," adding that "never in my wildest dreams would I have thought anyone would take on my case against Lucasfilm/Disney."
Musk's original post issuing that call was sent during the summer of 2023.
Carano said she was soon contacted by a lawyer for X, which is providing financial support for Carano's legal battle.
Indeed, X’s head of business operations, Joe Benarroch, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that X has a "commitment to free speech" and is "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.”
Carano went on to express her "gratitude" to both Musk and X "for giving me an opportunity to bring my case to light," adding:
"As for me, I would love to pick up where I left off [and] continue my journey of creating [and] participating in story-telling, which is my utmost passion [and] everything I worked so hard for. It has been difficult to move forward with the lies [and] labels stuck on me, backed [and] encouraged by the most powerful entertainment company in the world."
"I am grateful someone has come to my defense in such a powerful way [and] look forward to clearing my name."
Carano's announcement and X's involvement were swiftly criticized and detractors were quick to point out her support for antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Carano's case may set a precedent for future disputes over the termination of at-will employees based on their online activities. Her lawsuit asserts that Lucasfilm "made it clear that only one orthodoxy in thought, speech, or action was acceptable in their empire, and that those who dared to question or failed to fully comply would not be tolerated."
Carano—who had a short but successful career in mixed martial arts before her big break starring in director Steven Soderbergh's Haywire—has aligned herself with far-right filmmakers since her firing from The Mandalorian.
Since the controversy unfolded, she has worked only with The Daily Wire and appeared as "Agent Hound," a Secret Service agent, in My Son Hunter, a film that promotes former President Donald Trump's conspiracies about Hunter Biden.
She also starred in The Daily Wire's Terror on the Prairie, the story of a frontier woman who must protect herself against a ruthless gang of outlaws hell-bent on revenge, which only grossed $13,115 during its limited theatrical run and was ironically skewered by conservatives who complained the storyline was too "woke," feminist, and even offensive to Christian conservatives.