Bob Iger, the former CEO of The Walt Disney Company, has responded to Elon Musk’s support of Gina Carano’s lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm. Carano, known for her role in the hit series “The Mandalorian,” is suing the entertainment giants for discrimination and wrongful termination after being fired for expressing right-wing opinions on social media. Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has backed Carano’s lawsuit and is providing financial support through his company X. When asked about Musk’s involvement, Iger simply replied, “None.”
Carano’s lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm seeks to force the companies to rehire her for Star Wars content. She alleges that she was fired for voicing her conservative views on social media. Iger made his comments prior to The Walt Disney Co.’s fourth-quarter earnings call with investors.
Elon Musk has been vocal in his support of Carano and has taken to Twitter to express his thoughts on the matter. He tweeted “Disney sucks” in response to a post suggesting that the studio was considering replacing Johnny Depp with Ayo Edebiri in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean film. Musk also shared an alleged Disney inclusion standards document, claiming it showed “mandatory, institutionalized racism and sexism.”
This is not the first time Musk has shown support for individuals facing discrimination. Last year, he pledged to fund legal action for users on X who claim they have faced discrimination by their employers due to their activity on the platform. Musk stated that there would be no limit on costs and that he would even go after the boards of directors of these companies.
In November, Musk responded to advertisers, including Disney, who boycotted his platform due to his controversial and offensive posts. He defiantly stated, “If someone is going to try to blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go fuck yourself.” It is clear that Musk is not one to back down from a fight.
Gina Carano’s termination from “The Mandalorian” came after a series of right-wing social media posts, including one that compared the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust to the current political climate. In her lawsuit, Carano claims that Disney and Lucasfilm harassed and defamed her for not conforming to their viewpoints on issues such as Black Lives Matter, preferred pronouns, and election interference. She argues that while she was fired for her cultural and religious beliefs, her male co-stars were allowed to make offensive and denigrating posts directed towards Republicans. She specifically points to Pedro Pascal’s 2017 post comparing former President Donald Trump to Hitler.
According to the lawsuit, Carano was asked to meet with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and 45 employees who identify as LGBTQ+. However, she declined the meeting and was subsequently terminated from “The Mandalorian” and other Star Wars projects, including “Rangers of the New Republic.”
The support from Elon Musk adds another layer of complexity to Gina Carano’s legal battle against Disney and Lucasfilm. As the lawsuit progresses, it remains to be seen how this high-profile backing will impact the outcome. For now, Carano continues to fight for her reinstatement and to shed light on what she perceives as a double standard within the entertainment industry.