Latest news with #Carano
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Lucasfilm and Disney settle with actor Gina Carano following her firing from 'The Mandalorian'
Actor Gina Carano has settled her federal lawsuit against Lucasfilm and its parent The Walt Disney Co. over her claim that she was fired from ' The Mandalorian ' in 2021 for expressing right-wing views on social media. The specific terms of the agreement were not made available. 'Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect,' Lucasfilm said in a statement. 'With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.' The two sides stipulated in a federal court filing Thursday, Aug. 7, that the case should be dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be refiled. A judge still needs to formally dismiss it. The case had been scheduled to go to trial in Los Angeles in February of next year. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in California last year, alleged Carano was wrongfully terminated from the 'Star Wars' galaxy Disney+ series after two seasons due to a post likening the treatment of American conservatives to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany. Her posts were widely criticized online and spurred a trending #FireGinaCarano hashtag. 'I'd like to thank you all for your unrelenting support throughout my life and career, you've been the heartbeat that has kept my story alive. I hope to make you proud,' Carano wrote in a statement Thursday. 'I am excited to flip the page and move onto the next chapter. My desires remain in the arts, which is where I hope you will join me.' Carano thanked Elon Musk for helping fund the lawsuit 'and asking for nothing in return.' The suit had alleged that the 43-year-old actor was fired because she 'dared voice her own opinions' against an 'online bully mob who demanded her compliance with their extreme progressive ideology.' Carano is a former mixed martial artist who played the recurring character Cara Dune on the show, which launched in 2019 and ran for three seasons. A feature film starring Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver, 'The Mandalorian and Grogu,' is set for release next summer. Carano had previously been criticized for mocking mask wearing during the pandemic and making false allegations of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Disney's settlement with ‘Mandalorian' actor Gina Carano isn't capitulation. Firing her was
Actress Gina Carano, Lucasfilm and its parent company Walt Disney Co. have settled the federal lawsuit filed in which Carano claimed that, in 2021, she was wrongfully terminated from her role in 'The Mandalorian' after she expressed her conservative political views on social media. The settlement details have not been made public, but Lucasfilm released a statement praising Carano's on-set professionalism and expressing the hope of 'identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.' I am here to beg everyone to remain calm and avoid using the four Cs: cancel culture (is this the end of it?) and corporate capitulation (is this another example of it?) No and no. Cancel culture has long been an amorphous and often recklessly applied term, used to describe a litany of events, including but certainly not limited to male predators losing their jobs, students protesting their school's choice of graduation speakers and outrage over J.K. Rowling's stance on transgender women. Recently, however, it has taken a far more concrete shape that looks astonishingly like the White House where President Trump continues to literally cancel all manner of things, including U.S. membership in the World Health Organization, the regulatory power of the Environmental Protection Agency and huge portions of Medicaid. Recently, he fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after the bureau documented weaker than expected numbers for July and downward revisions for the previous two months. Corporate capitulation, too, is alive and well, with law firms, universities and media companies falling like dominoes before Trump's lawsuits and threats of defunding. Last year, Trump sued ABC and its parent company Disney for defamation after anchor George Stephanopoulos wrongly stated on air that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping E. Jean Carroll — Trump had been found civilly liable of sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll. Disney settled for $15 million, paid to Trump's presidential foundation and museum. Even more troubling was Paramount Global's decision to pay a $16-million settlement in what many consider a frivolous lawsuit brought by Trump against '60 Minutes.' After late-night host Stephen Colbert called the move a 'big fat bribe' designed to ensure Paramount's recent acquisition by Skydance, CBS, which is owned by Paramount, announced that 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' was being canceled due to financial considerations. So while it is tempting to see Disney settling with Carano as a piece of a larger and very worrisome whole, particularly when Elon Musk financed her lawsuit, it was in fact simply the right thing to do. Carano is a former mixed martial artist turned actor who has been vocal about her support for conservative causes and President Trump. In 2020, she had caught some flack for posting 'beep/bop/boop' as her pronouns in her Twitter bio, which some took as her way of mocking trans people. She denied this, changed her bio and expressed support for the trans community. There were also posts that criticized masking policies and shutdowns during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as one calling for an investigation into voter fraud after the 2020 election. But it was a repost on Instagram that cost her her job — in February 2021, she reposted a famously horrific image of a half-naked Jewish woman fleeing from a mob with a moronically simplistic message about divisive politics: '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?' Landing just a month after then-President Trump sent an armed mob to attack the Capitol in the hopes of overturning an election he refused to believe he had lost, the post, which appeared to compare MAGA supporters in 2021 America with Jews in Nazi Germany, sparked #FireGinaCarano. And that's exactly what Disney did. Calling her posts 'abhorrent and unacceptable,' Lucasfilm excised her character from 'The Mandalorian' and canceled an upcoming spinoff in which she was to star. Her talent agency, UTA, dropped her and Hasbro canceled a line of toys based on her 'Mandalorian' character. It was an overreaction that smacked of fear and pandering. I do not agree with the sentiments Carano expressed in her posts, but compared with the blithely toxic abuse regularly used on social media, they are relatively benign, based far more on genuine ignorance — most people are in fact aware of the vicious antisemitism leveraged by the Nazis as well as their institutionalized tactics of fear — than anything else. Of course, those who attempt to be politically provocative on social media (and reposting a photo of a victimized Jewish woman in such context is the definition of political provocation) cannot then feign shock and dismay when people are provoked, especially at a time when far-right tweets, including the president's, had led to a violent attack against lawmakers. (Hence the irony of Musk's support — the platform he renamed X was in large part built on its ability to harness all manner of just and unjust hashtag campaigns.) But as my colleague Robin Abcarian noted when Carano filed her lawsuit in 2023, the social media mob's decision that a woman, who was far from a household name, deserved to lose her livelihood, and more important, Lucasfilm's agreement with that decision, was extreme. Bad publicity is never good for an entertainment property and whether it was explicit in her contract or not, Carano did represent, to a certain extent, 'The Mandalorian,' Lucasfilm and Disney. Unfortunately, the entertainment industry's increasing reliance on social media has created a world in which actors and other creative types are expected to amass millions of followers on platforms that tend to reward the outspoken and outrageous over the thoughtful. Encouraged to reveal themselves 'authentically,' stars can find themselves prodded by fans to comment on current events and excoriated when they refuse or respond in a way that certain followers consider insincere or politically incorrect. Telling people to stay off social media is not the answer; neither is regulation by hashtag campaign. While Carano's case is certainly reflective of many perils that face us at the moment, the fact that she reached a settlement, including an apparent promise of more work, is not a sign of further deterioration. The fear that our cultural landscape is being attacked by political forces that would strangle the notion of free speech and competing ideologies is real and justified. But in this case, the capitulation came not when Disney and Lucasfilm decided to settle with Carano, but when they fired her in the first place.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Disney settles 'Star Wars' actor lawsuit
Gina Carano, a prominent Donald Trump supporter, had claimed wrongful termination in a lawsuit filed last year with the backing of billionaire Elon Musk. Photo: file A "Star Wars" actor who sued Disney for firing her over inflammatory social media posts about the Holocaust, the pandemic and trans rights has reached a settlement with the Hollywood studio, the entertainment giant announced on Thursday. Gina Carano, a prominent Donald Trump supporter who had a major role in the hit Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" until 2021, claimed wrongful termination in a lawsuit filed last year with the backing of billionaire Elon Musk. On Thursday, a spokesperson for Disney subsidiary Lucasfilm said the companies had "reached an agreement with Gina Carano to resolve the issues in her pending lawsuit." Disney "look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future," said a statement. Carano, an outspoken former martial arts fighter-turned-actor, was fired by Disney in 2021 for what the company at the time dubbed "abhorrent and unacceptable" social media posts "denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities." One post shared by Carano appeared to compare being a conservative in the United States to being Jewish in Nazi Germany. Another post appeared to mock a person for wearing multiple masks during the Covid-19 pandemic in California. Carano had earlier enraged members of the trans-community for writing on her Twitter profile that her preferred pronouns were "boop/bop/beep." In her initial lawsuit, Carano said Disney had damaged her reputation and ability to find work in the future, after she had expressed personal political views that led to her being hounded by an "extreme progressive" online mob. The California lawsuit was funded by Musk's X, after Carano publicly replied to an open offer from the tech billionaire to help anyone fired after using his social media platform to exercise free speech. Carano previously claimed she lost a role on a planned "Mandalorian" spin-off called "Rangers of the New Republic" that would have been worth "$150,000 to $250,000 per episode." The Lucasfilm statement said Carano "was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect." Carano also supported Donald Trump's recent election campaign, speaking at a campaign rally in Las Vegas last year. Neither Disney nor Carano disclosed the terms of the agreement, but she appeared to allude to the lawsuit's settlement on her social media. "...and the truth shall set you free," Carano posted Thursday on X.
Japan Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Disney settles Trump-supporting 'Star Wars' actor lawsuit
Gina Carano, who had a major role in the wildly popular Disney+ series 'The Mandalorian' until 2021, had claimed wrongful termination A "Star Wars" actor who sued Disney for firing her over inflammatory social media posts about the Holocaust, the pandemic and trans rights has reached a settlement with the Hollywood studio. Gina Carano, a prominent Donald Trump supporter who had a major role in the hit Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" until 2021, claimed wrongful termination in a lawsuit filed last year with the backing of billionaire Elon Musk. On Thursday, a spokesperson for Disney subsidiary Lucasfilm said the companies had "reached an agreement with Gina Carano to resolve the issues in her pending lawsuit." Disney "look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future," said a statement sent to AFP. Carano, an outspoken former martial arts fighter-turned-actor, was fired by Disney in 2021 for what the company at the time dubbed "abhorrent and unacceptable" social media posts "denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities." One post shared by Carano appeared to compare being a conservative in the United States to being Jewish in Nazi Germany. "Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews" because "the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews," the post said. "How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?" it concluded, with a graphic photo of a Jewish woman being beaten in Nazi Germany. Another post appeared to mock a person for wearing multiple masks during the Covid-19 pandemic in California. Carano had earlier enraged members of the trans community for writing on her Twitter profile that her preferred pronouns were "boop/bop/beep." In her initial lawsuit, Carano said Disney had damaged her reputation and ability to find work in the future, after she had expressed personal political views that led to her being hounded by an "extreme progressive" online mob. The California lawsuit was funded by Musk's X, after Carano publicly replied to an open offer from the tech billionaire to help anyone fired after using his social media platform to exercise free speech. Carano previously claimed she lost a role on a planned "Mandalorian" spin-off called "Rangers of the New Republic" that would have been worth "$150,000 to $250,000 per episode." The Lucasfilm statement said Carano "was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect." Carano also supported Donald Trump's recent election campaign, speaking at a campaign rally in Las Vegas last year. Disney has become embroiled in the United States' so-called "culture wars" in recent years. In March, US regulators under the Trump administration announced an investigation into diversity efforts at the Walt Disney Company. Neither Disney nor Carano disclosed the terms of the agreement, but she appeared to allude to the lawsuit's settlement on her social media. "...and the truth shall set you free," Carano posted Thursday on X. © 2025 AFP
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘The Mandalorian' actor Gina Carano and Disney settle lawsuit over alleged wrongful termination
The Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm have settled a lawsuit brought by 'The Mandalorian' actor Gina Carano, who alleged she had been wrongfully terminated from the show and discriminated against because of her social media posts. Carano and Disney each separately confirmed the settlement Thursday, with Carano calling it the 'best outcome for all parties involved.' 'I hope this brings some healing to the force,' she wrote in a post on X. 'I am excited to flip the page and move onto the next chapter. My desires remain in the arts, which is where I hope you will join me.' She also thanked X owner and billionaire Elon Musk, who funded her lawsuit against Disney, calling it a 'Good Samaritan deed' from someone she had never met. A Lucasfilm spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that the company looked forward to 'identifying opportunities to work together' with Carano in the 'near future,' now that the lawsuit was concluded. The company did not disclose the conditions of the settlement. 'Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff,' the spokesperson said. 'She worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect.' The settlement comes a little more than a year after Carano sued Burbank-based Disney, Lucasfilm and Huckleberry Industries after she was dismissed from the Disney+ series. Carano, who portrayed former Rebellion soldier Cara Dune for two seasons, had been criticized for several controversial social media posts. In one now-deleted post, she implied that being conservative today was comparable with being Jewish during the Holocaust. Critics had also called out posts in which she falsely claimed voter fraud affected the results of the 2020 presidential election, derided pandemic-era mask mandates and made fun of stating people's pronouns. Her social media postings ignited a firestorm of controversy, with critics calling for her to be fired from the series, while her supporters urged others to cancel Disney+ instead. In 2021, a Lucasfilm representative said in a statement that Carano was not currently employed by the 'Star Wars' production company, and that there were 'no plans for her to be in the future.' The statement also called her posts 'abhorrent and unacceptable.' Carano claimed at the time that she had been promised a role in the now-shelved 'Star Wars' spinoff 'Rangers of the New Republic.' In her lawsuit, she said she was 'targeted, harassed, publicly humiliated, [and] defamed' for making 'political statements that did not align with what [Disney] believed was an acceptable viewpoint.' She had been seeking more than $75,000 in damages and to be reinstated in her role in 'The Mandalorian.'
