Gina Carano is suing Disney and Lucasfilm for discrimination and wrongful termination in a lawsuit with X Owner Elon Musk funding the actress’s fight against both studios.
In a complaint filed on Tuesday in California federal court, Carano alleges she was fired for voicing right-wing opinions on social media and is seeking a court order to force Lucasfilm to recast her. Carano brings a powerful friend to her side with Elon Musk, who vowed to help fund legal actions for users of his social media platform who claim they’ve been discriminated against.
“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,” said X’s head of business operations Joe Benarroch.
In 2021, Carano, who played Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune on The Mandalorian, was fired by Lucasfilm due to a series of controversial social media posts, including a comment implying that being a Republican is like being Jewish during the Holocaust. The comment was one of many to land Carano in hot water, such as the actress’s mocking of COVID-19 mask mandates and controversial comments surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Since being let go from the Star Wars spin-off, Carano was dropped by the UTA (United Talent Agency) and had her action figure canceled by Hasbro.
According to the complaint, Carano claims Disney and Lucasfilm harassed and defamed her for refusing to conform to their viewpoints regarding Black Lives Matter, an individual’s preferred use of pronouns, and other hot-button issues. Carano argues that the witchhunt against her is gender-related, saying her male co-stars did not receive the same punishment for making similar comments against right-wingers.
Carano seeks $75,000, plus punitive damages from Lucasfilm for wrongful discharge and sex discrimination.
“Some of us have been unjustly singled out, harassed, persecuted, and had our livelihoods stripped away because we dared to encourage conversation, ask questions, and refused to go along with the mob,” Carano said in a statement.
The 59-page filing details Carano’s complaints against the studios and her post-Star Wars journey of online harassment. As part of a recent incident, FAN EXPO Calgary announced Carano as a special guest at the fan-fueled con, to which many who had already bought tickets to the event demanded refunds because of her involvement.