Former Mandalorian actress Gina Carano is getting legal support from a surprising source: Elon Musk.
Carano filed a complaint in California federal court on Tuesday, alleging that she was terminated from Disney+ and LucasFilm for sharing her right-wing opinions on social media. In her lawsuit, Carano seeks a court order that forces the production company to recast her.
To help her fight this legal battle, Musk is funding the suit through X, the social media platform once (and still) known as Twitter, hich he acquired in 2022. The billionaire's support for Carano apparently reflects a wider offer to cover legal expenses for X users who claim they've been victims of discrimination 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," stated head of business operations Joe Benarroch, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Carano's 2021 firing from The Mandalorian was a messy and heavily publicized situation that centered on her social media posts. The former MMA fighter shared a post on Instagram comparing Republicans to Jewish people during the Holocaust. She shared posts falsely alleging that voter fraud occured during the 2020 presidential election and mocking mask mandates.
“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 in a statement.
In the lawsuit, Carano alleges that Disney and LucasFilm harassed and maligned her for not sharing the company's left-wing views, though the former MMA fighter claimed that her male Mandalorian co-stars made offensive social media posts — one example being Pedro Pascal making a post comparing Donald Trump to Hitler.
The complaint also includes an instance where Disney requested Carano meet with a representative from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination, and demanded the actress make a public apology. Carano refused and the filing states that she was asked to "issue a statement admitting to mocking or insulting an entire group of people, which Carano had never done."
After declining to meet with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and 45 employees who identify as LGBTQ+, Carano was allegedly terminated from The Mandalorian, along with other Star Wars Universe titles. In a previously-removed episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls, Carano's name and likeness were excluded from promotional materials.
“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.
Along with the request to rejoin the show's cast, Carano also seeks at least $75,000 and additional punitive damages.
