Former MMA fighter Gina Carano is suing Disney and Lucasfilm for discrimination and wrongful termination, alleging she was fired from her role on “The Mandalorian” for expressing right-wing views on social media, and is seeking a court order to be recast in the series and at least $75,000 in damages.
Gina Carano, an ex-MMA fighter, is taking Disney and Lucasfilm to court. She’s claiming discrimination and wrongful termination. Her role on the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, was abruptly ended.
She lodged the lawsuit on Tuesday. The location? A federal court in California. The reason? She says she was axed for expressing right-wing views on social media. She’s now demanding a court order. This would force Lucasfilm to bring her back as Cara Dune, her character from the first two seasons of the series.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, is backing Carano’s lawsuit. He’s even pledged to foot the legal bills for anyone discriminated against for their social media posts.
Musk made a promise on Twitter last August. “If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill,” he tweeted.
Joe Benarroch, Twitter’s head of business operations, released a statement. “As a sign of X Corp’s commitment to free speech, we’re proud to provide financial support for Gina Carano’s lawsuit. This empowers her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination,” he said.
Lucasfilm made an announcement in 2021. Carano wouldn’t be returning for the third season of The Mandalorian. They stated, “She is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future.” They also criticized Carano’s social media posts. One of them seemed to compare living as a conservative in the U.S. to the horrors Jews faced during the holocaust in Nazi Germany.
Lucasfilm released a statement. “Her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable,” it read.
After parting ways with Disney, Carano lost her agents at UTA. Before her dismissal, there were rumors. She was supposedly going to star in a new Star Wars spinoff, Rangers of the New Republic. But that series was later canned. Her character got a brief mention in the third season of The Mandalorian, but she didn’t show up.
In the lawsuit, Carano made more claims. She says she was bullied on social media. She alleges that Disney/Lucasfilm harassed her over her views on Black Lives Matter, her issues with gender pronouns, and her opposition to mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also claims that Disney and Lucasfilm turned a blind eye to her male co-stars. They regularly voiced their opinions on social media but faced no backlash.
“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,” Carano told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I am honored that my case has been chosen to be supported by the company [X] that has been one of the last glimmers of hope for free speech in the world.”
Carano’s not just seeking a court order for Lucasfilm to recast her. She’s also after a sum of at least $75,000. And she wants punitive damages too.