Actor Gina Carano has filed a lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm for her termination from “The Mandalorian” in 2021. She was fired over a social media post in which she compared being a Republican to being Jewish during the Holocaust.
The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, alleges wrongful termination and discrimination. Carano is demanding that the court force Lucasfilm to recast her and pay at least $75,000 in punitive damages.
Elon Musk is funding the lawsuit, in line with his promise to support legal actions against discrimination based on social media posts. However, the posts in question originated on Carano’s Instagram Stories.
Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X Corp., stated, “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 and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination.”
Carano played Cara Dune in the first two seasons of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+, but she faced immediate criticism when she shared the controversial post in February 2021.
The post in question compared the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust to the treatment of Republicans, leading to Carano being dropped by Lucasfilm and her agency at the time, UTA.
Carano’s lawsuit, filled with “Star Wars” references, accuses Disney and Lucasfilm of enforcing a single acceptable ideology and intolerance of those who question or fail to comply.
The lawsuit also highlights previous social media posts from other “Star Wars” actors, alleging a double standard in Disney’s response to political statements made by male co-stars.
Variety has reached out to representatives for Disney, Lucasfilm, and Carano for comment.