Gina Carano Sues Disney Over ‘The Mandalorian’ Firing, with Elon Musk Funding Legal Battle

Gina Carano has filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm over her “The Mandalorian” exit.

Carano was fired in February 2021 from the Disney+ series; she portrayed character Cara Dune.

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Now, Carano’s legal filing (via The Hollywood Reporter) cites that she was fired for discrimination and wrongful termination. Carano alleged she was fired for her political affiliations and gender. She is seeking a court order for Lucasfilm to recast her, and $75,000, plus punitive damages.

IndieWire has reached out to Disney for comment.

“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 in a statement. Carano also shared a lengthy statement on X.

Elon Musk, owner of X, is helping fund Carano’s lawsuit. In 2022, Carano starred in and produced the movie “Terror on the Prairie” in partnership with Ben Shapiro, which released on The Daily Wire.

In a statement, the head of business operations at X (formerly known as Twitter) Joe Benarroch 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.”

Carano said of X funding the lawsuit, “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.”

The hashtag #FireGinaCarano went viral on social media, especially on Twitter, back in November 2020 calling for Disney and Lucasfilm to fire Carano due to her controversial tweets involving transgender pronouns, voter fraud, and pandemic mask-wearing.

The former MMA fighter continued to garner controversy after she shared a post on her Instagram story comparing the political climate for Republicans to Nazism.

She was fired from “The Mandalorian” in 2021. “The Mandalorian” executive producer and director Rick Famuyiwa claimed in February 2023 that Cara Dune could return to the “Star Wars” franchise.

Carano claims in her lawsuit that Disney and Lucasfilm “harassed and defamed” her for “refusing to conform with their viewpoints on issues relating to Black Lives Matter, preferred pronouns, and disproven claims of election interference,” as THR reported. Per Carano, Disney required her to meet with a representative of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination and publicly apologize. She refused to do so, and was reportedly asked to meet with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and 45 Lucasfilm employees who identify as LGBTQ+. Carano was then fired not only from “The Mandalorian” but also other “Star Wars” projects like “Rangers of the New Republic.”

“Defendants went so far as to try and convince Carano’s publicist to force Carano to issue a statement admitting to mocking or insulting an entire group of people, which Carano had never done,” the lawsuit reads.

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