Gina Carano Sues Over ‘The Mandalorian’ Firing in Elon Musk-Backed Lawsuit

Former mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano is suing Disney and Lucasfilm over her firing from the “Star Wars” spin-off series “The Mandalorian.”

Back in 2021, Disney abruptly announced that Carano, who played Cara Dune on “The Mandalorian,” would not be appearing on the third season of the show as she was fired over “abhorrent” comments made on Twitter, now known as X, and other social media outlets.

However, a lot has changed since Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and his subsequent promise to pay the legal fees of anyone who faced discrimination for voicing their political views on his platform. Carano has now filed a lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm, alleging discrimination and wrongful firing for voicing right-wing opinions.

Carano also claims to have faced harassment on social media over her views on Black Lives Matter, gender pronouns and regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The former Strikeforce title challenger further accused the production house of singling her out and ignoring male co-stars who regularly voiced their opinions. Carano not only wants to be reinstated in her role on “The Mandalorian” but is also seeking $75,000 and punitive damages.

“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 told the The Hollywood Reporter. “I am honored that my case has been chosen to be supported by the company [X] that has been one of the last glimmers of hope for free speech in the world.”

Today is an important day for me--I am filing a lawsuit against @lucasfilm & @Disney

After my 20 years of building a career from scratch, and during the regime of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Lucasfilm made this statement on Twitter, terminating me from The Mandalorian: “Gina…

— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) February 6, 2024

“A couple months ago Elon Musk tweeted that if you had been fired from using the platform (X) for exercising your right to free speech, he would like to offer these people legal representation. Quite the noble offer, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought anyone would take on my case against Lucasfilm/Disney. Still, I did respond back ‘I think I qualify’ and thousands of people agreed—but I did not expect anything.”

“To my surprise, a few months ago I received an email from a lawyer who had been hired by X to look into my story and many others. Turns out after sending them as much information as I could gather these past few months, my now lawyers and X believe whole-heartedly in my case and are moving forward. I would like to express my deepest gratitude and thank you to Elon Musk and X for giving me an opportunity to bring my case to light.”

Joe Benarroch, head of business operations for X, told The Hollywood Reporter:

“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.”