Credit: ITMThe former Star Wars actress is seeking justice for her 2021 firing.
In the culmination of the feud between Gina Carano and The Walt Disney Company, the actress is now suing both Disney and Lucasfilm for discrimination and wrongful termination. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in California federal court, alleges that Carano was fired for voicing right-wing opinions on various social media channels like Twitter (now X).
Carano was let go from The Mandalorian in 2021, sending a shockwave throughout the Disney and Star Wars communities. Carano portrayed the character of New Republic Marshal Cara Dune for the first two seasons of the Disney+ original series, quickly becoming one of the more popular characters under Disney’s ownership of the franchise. During the rollout of season two episodes, Carao began sharing a variety of troubling posts on social media, ranging from COVID-19 misinformation, transphobic jokes, memes and even references to the Holocaust. Disney quickly decided to let Carano go, leaving a hole in the upcoming third season of the show. Carano’s absence was addressed in a small scene in season three, explaining that her character is busy doing something else off-screen.
Carano, a former women’s MMA and Muay Thai fighter has not been completely “canceled” per se, merely left behind and forgotten by The Walt Disney Company. Carano starred in the Breitbart original film My Son Hunter (2022). Carano also starred in and served as producer for Ben Shapiro-backed The Daily Wire’s Terror on the Prarie (2022).
This new lawsuit is rather interesting, not only for targeting Disney but also due to who is funding it. This new lawsuit is being handled financially by Tesla and X owner Elon Musk, who has been vehemently championing “freedom of speech” since he took over the social media platform. Carano threatened to sue Disney in 2023, joking about her termination in response to an official post from Elon Musk himself, which presumably acted as the genesis of this lawsuit team-up.
In a new statement from X’s head of business operations, Joe Benarroch, the executive said, “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.”
According to the complaint, Disney and Lucasfilm harassed and defamed Carano for refusing to conform to certain political and ideological viewpoints held by the companies. Specific issues range from Black Lives Matter to election interference. Carano was allegedly fired for cultural and religious beliefs, but Carano is arguing that Disney did not treat her male characters the same way after they made off-color jokes about Republicans.
Carano is claiming wrongful discharge as well as discrimination on the basis of sex. The actress is seeking a court order that would force Lucasfilm and Disney to recast her and at least $75,000. The Walt Disney Company recently announced that a movie based on the show was in the works. Officially called The Mandalorian & Grogu, this feature-length film will hit the big screens in 2026. It’s unclear if Carano is seeking a role in this film or some other project based on The Mandalorian.
“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,” said Carano in a statement.