Why is Elon Musk funding Gina Carano's lawsuit against Disney? Explained

Gina Carano has become the talk of the town again after successfully filing her lawsuit against Disney for alleged discrimination due to her political opinions. The standoff between the actress and Lucasfilms goes back to 2021 when a series of tweets by the actress reportedly got her into trouble with the company.

In a complaint filed on Tuesday, February 6, in California federal court, Carano has alleged that Disney fired her because of her right-wing opinions on social media. She has sought a court order that would force Lucasfilm to recast her and pay for damages caused by this.

Elon Musk and X are bearing the cost of this legal battle because of a commitment Musk made a year ago. He stated that the company would fund legal action for users on X who claim they have faced discrimination by their employers over their activity on the platform.

X’s head of business operations, Joe Benarroch, also spoke out about this, showing support for Gina Carano and her lawsuit against Disney's alleged wrongful termination.

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What is Gina Carano's lawsuit all about?

Gina Carano's lawsuit claims that Disney and Lucasfilm harassed and defamed her for refusing to conform to their viewpoints on issues like Black Lives Matter, preferred pronouns, and election interference.

Her lawsuit also claimed that Disney has previously ignored such incidents of political viewpoints when male co-stars have done it, citing Pedro Pascal’s 2017 post about Donald Trump as an example.

The issue arose after Gina Carano posted a tweet where she implied that being a Republican is like being Jewish during the Holocaust. This came after a series of tweets, all of which saw the actress fall into a controversial position with fans and social media users in general.

She had also reportedly mocked COVID-19 protocols and suggested voter fraud during the 2020 election.

Disney allegedly asked the actor to meet with a representative of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination and demanded a public apology. The complaint further adds:

"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."

According to the suit, Gina Carano was subsequently asked to meet with Kathleen Kennedy and 45 employees who identify as LGBTQ+, but she declined this. After this, Disney terminated her contract and moved on with the third season of The Mandalorian without her character.

Since this falls under discrimination based on political views on social media, X stepped up to defend Gina Carano and take full financial responsibility for the lawsuit.

X’s head of business operations, Joe Benarroch, said in a statement:

"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 addressed X funding this lawsuit, saying:

"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."

More details about the lawsuit and its repercussions are yet to come from both sides.