The entertainment and social media industries are no strangers to controversy. But the news that Gina Carano, who played Cara Dune in the popular Star Wars television series The Mandalorian, had been fired because of her divisive social media posts stunned the business and, of course, the fan base.
Why was the former mixed martial artist, 41, let go from The Mandalorian? In February 2021, she lost her job due to the offensive social media posts she shared. She posted on Instagram, drawing a comparison between the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust and “hating someone for their political views.” Carano is now biting back at her former Lucasfilm boss, Kathleen Kennedy.
Why Did Gina Carano Lose Her Job at The Mandalorian?
The Hollywood Reporter revealed in February 2021 that Gina Carano would not be coming back to The Mandalorian. She posted a photo that seemed to suggest that being a Republican in the modern era is just as risky as being Jewish during the Holocaust. According to a Lucasfilm spokesman (per THR):
“Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
Moreover, her agency, UTA, immediately terminated her after that. Lucasfilm had been trying to fire her for a while, and the post was the final straw, according to a THR source. Newsweek reported that since Lucasfilm fired Carano, her Instagram account has acquired almost 150k new followers.
Previously, she provided her side of the events leading to her firing from Lucasfilm in a comprehensive sit-down interview with The Ben Shapiro Show on The Daily Wire, according to a report from Deadline:
“I’ve been through so much, and I’ve seen so much now, clearly, of the bullying that’s been taking place, and I saw it before. I’m not the only one that’s ever been bullied by this company, and I know that so deeply.”
Gina Carano Blasts Kathleen Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm
Gina Carano is criticizing her former Lucasfilm boss more than two years after she was fired from The Mandalorian. She mocked Kathleen Kennedy and made light of the widespread criticism of some of Disney and Lucasfilm’s recent films by posting a clip from a recent episode of South Park on X (formerly Twitter):
This is the part where KK demands any YouTubers get censored off of YouTube for sharing and laughing at this hilarious episode, she’ll have YouTube disable the thumbs down option because of the ratio she’ll receive, then she’ll have her publicist ghouls make sure Variety and… https://t.co/CMgASHQBgz
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) October 28, 2023
In a retweet on X in response to a fan who claimed to have “lost her mind with her post”, Carano implied that her criticism of Kennedy was founded on her “first-hand experience”:
Do you always call a woman crazy just because she has more first hand experience than you & says something you don’t like or understand?
Bit misogynistic don’t ya think. Tsk tsk.Curious if your overlords pay you or do y’all just go ahead & shove your whole head straight up… https://t.co/E6eBNMqjpo
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) October 29, 2023
Both her admirers and critics broke over her posts, which offered opposing viewpoints on a wide range of topics, including politics and her controversial firing. She was allegedly exercising her right to free speech when she was called “truly one of the most powerful & brilliant posts on leaders,” according to one fan:
Gina, this is truly one of the most powerful & brilliant posts on Leaders, Leadership, Civility & Freedom I have read. My respect & admiration for your talent, strength, honesty & principles is endless. They thought they could BUY you back! You are a real life #hero for so many.
— James Pizon (@JamesPizon) October 29, 2023
“Force is female”, one person observed, adding:
Surrrrre the “force is female” but only if you are the right* kind of female
— melissa wagner (@agentbssyboots) October 30, 2023
While one chimed:
Wow. KK must be really powerless now for you to come out and express and expose her like this. Thank you.
— Mandoboyband (@ibottsla) October 29, 2023
One person believed that Disney was to blame for their own “demise”:
Disney made and caused their own demise…good riddance 💯💥🤌
— C.P. Smith🇺🇸🦅 (@smithcps01) October 28, 2023
One declared that what LucasFilm did to Carano was “beyond pale”:
Even if I wasn’t pre biased beforehand, what LucasFilm did to Gina Carano was beyond the pale. Kathleen Kennedy deserves all the satire she is getting. And if Bob Iger can’t figure out yet how and why Lucasfilm ruined its IP, then Nelson Peltz should take him out.
— Peter R Hann (@PeterRHann1) October 28, 2023
Carano began his career in mixed martial arts and has starred in movies like Deadpool and Fast & Furious 6. Her career took off after Steven Soderbergh cast her in Haywire, a 2011 film that grossed $34.5 million on a $23 million budget.
The Mandalorian is currently streaming on Disney+.
