Elon Musk backs fired ‘Mandalorian’ actress Gina Carano’s lawsuit against Disney
Billionaire Elon Musk escalated his fight with Disney by backing a lawsuit by fired “Mandalorian” actress Gina Carano — who alleged the “woke” company canned her because of her conservative political views.
Carano, who played warrior Cara Dune, was written off the “Star Wars” spinoff in February 2021 after spouting conspiracy theories on social media.
She derided mask mandates during the pandemic and echoed false claims of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
In another post, the former MMA star railed that being a Republican was akin to being Jewish during the Holocaust.
“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors … even by children,” Carano wrote on Instagram, according to a Variety report at the time.
Following her dismissal by Disney, Carano also was dropped by her talent agency, UTA.
Carano’s lawsuit, filed in a California federal court Tuesday, took some inspiration from the famous opening lines from “Star Wars.”
“A short time ago in a galaxy not so far away, Defendants made it clear that only one orthodoxy in thought, speech, or action was acceptable in their empire,” the complaint said.
“Please let us know if you would like to join the lawsuit against Disney,” Musk wrote on X.
Carano also claimed sex discrimination, arguing that male stars who voiced opinions did not suffer any consequences.
She is asking the court to order Disney’s Lucasfilm unit to reinstate her in the role and seeks compensatory damages of up to $75,000 plus emotional distress and punitive damages to be determined at trial.
Musk, who has feuded with Disney CEO Bob Iger after the company yanked advertising from his social media platform X over alleged antisemitic content on the site, had pledged to throw his financial weight behind legal action for X users claiming they were discriminated against at work because of their posts on the platform.
“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 Joe Benarroch, X’s head of business operations.
A Disney spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
In late November, Musk told Iger and other executives who halted advertising on X to “go f–k yourself” amid claims that the site was not doing enough to crack down on antisemitic content.
Musk was recently photographed alongside Nelson Peltz, the activist investor who has been warring with Iger over the makeup of Disney’s board of directors.
Peltz, who has blasted Iger’s stewardship of the company amid a downturn in its stock price, is seeking more than two seats on the board for his hedge fund, Trian Fund Management.
Wall Street is eagerly anticipating Disney’s fourth quarter earnings report, which is due later on Wednesday.
The entertainment giant last week urged shareholders to vote for its 12 nominees on the board and to reject nominees from Trian and others.
With Post wires
