Disney CEO weighs in on Gina Carano being fired from 'The Mandalorian'
Disney's decision to fire actress Gina Carano from The Mandalorian last month was not about politics, CEO Bob Chapek said Tuesday.
The company doesn't characterize itself as "left-leaning or right-leaning" but stands for "values that are universal: respect, decency, integrity and inclusion and we seek to have the content that we make reflective of the rich diversity of the world we live in," he said. "And I think that’s a world we should all live in harmony and peace."
Chapek made the comments after he was asked about the situation during an annual call with Disney shareholders.
The subject was bound to come up. Carano was dismissed from the Star Wars series last month, after she equated being a Republican today with being a Jewish person during the Holocaust.
The show's production company quickly condemned her words.
"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," a spokesperson said then. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."
The MMA star-turned-actress had earlier riled fans of the franchise by saying that businesses and churches should reopen despite the COVID-19 pandemic, appearing to mock the use of trans pronouns on social media by listing hers as "boop/bop/beep," and spreading former President Trump's unproven claims that the election was rigged. Unhappy viewers sent the phrase #FireGinaCarano trending on Twitter.
For her part, Carano has announced that she will next work with politically conservative website The Daily Wire on a movie. "The Daily Wire is helping make one of my dreams — to develop and produce my own film — come true," she said last month. "I cried out and my prayer was answered. I am sending out a direct message of hope to everyone living in fear of cancellation by the totalitarian mob. I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before, and I hope it inspires others to do the same. They can't cancel us if we don't let them."
Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, said, in part, that the company "could not be more excited to be working with Gina Carano, an incredible talent dumped by Disney and Lucasfilm for offending the authoritarian Hollywood Left."
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