This is a lot so, sit down and take a deep breath. Gina Carano, the actress who was fired from The Mandalorian for “social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities” is now suing Lucasfilm for discrimination and wrongful termination. And, because the comments were made on X, formerly Twitter, Elon Musk is funding the lawsuit.
“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,” X’s head of business operations Joe Benarroch said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. Carano is hoping to get a court order that would force Lucasfilm to recast her as her character, Cara Dune, as well as get punitive damages.
Carano was fired in February 2021 after the actress shared, then deleted, an anti-Semitic story on her Instagram. It was the final straw after months of statements including mocking covid mask mandates, spreading conspiracies about the United States election, liking posts disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement, and deriding pronoun usage. “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future,” a statement first obtained by io9 said at the time. “Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
According to Carano though, while Lucasfilm claims it fired her over those statements, she thinks it was only because she was a woman, and male co-stars made similarly offensive posts that were ignored. “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 said in a statement.
She’s also, as you’d expect, happy that Musk and X are helping in the fight. “I am honored that my case has been chosen to be supported by the company that has been one of the last glimmers of hope for free speech in the world,” Carano said.
io9 reached out to Lucasfilm for potential comment and we’ll update this story if or when we hear back. But yeah, like we said—it’s a lot. What are your thoughts here? Let us know below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
