Gina Carano sues Disney over her firing from “The Mandalorian" with lawsuit funded by Elon Musk

The actor filed a suit alleging wrongful termination and discrimination after she was fired for Nazi comments

By Joy Saha

Staff Writer

Published February 7, 2024 12:22PM (EST)

Gina Carano arrives for the World Premiere of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker", the highly anticipated conclusion of the Skywalker saga on December 16, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
Gina Carano arrives for the World Premiere of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker", the highly anticipated conclusion of the Skywalker saga on December 16, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

Gina Carano is suing Disney and Lucasfilm over claims she was wrongfully fired from “The Mandalorian” in 2021. The actor and former professional MMA fighter filed a lawsuit in California federal court Tuesday, alleging wrongful termination and discrimination. She’s also seeking a court order that would force Lucasfilm to recast her and at least $75,000, in addition to punitive damages.

Lucasfilm announced Carano’s firing from the hit series after she shared a social media post that read, “Most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?” On Tuesday, Carano clarified her statement, saying her words “were consistently twisted to demonize & dehumanize me as an alt right wing extremist.”

Elsewhere in her complaint, Carano claimed Disney and Lucasfilm failed to condemn her male co-stars in a similar manner after they allegedly made offensive remarks directed at Republicans. Carano specifically called out Pedro Pascal’s 2017 post comparing former President Donald Trump to Hitler.

Carano’s lawsuit is being funded by Elon Musk, who vowed to fund legal action for X users who faced discrimination due to their posts on the platform. Carano’s posts, however, were made on Instagram Stories, Variety noted.    

“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,” said Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X, in a statement.


MORE FROM Joy Saha