This week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek had the chance to address the firing of The Mandalorian‘s Gina Carano during the company’s annual shareholders meeting. When asked about Disney and Lucasfilm’s decision to drop Carano after several controversial social media posts, Chapek said he doesn’t “really see Disney characterizing itself as right-leaning or left-leaning.”
Deadline reported that the shareholder asked about the supposed “Disney blacklist” and noted that both Carano and Mandalorian co-star Pedro Pascal had made problematic social media comments. Chapek did not directly address Carano’s firing or even mention her name. Instead, he said:
"Disney 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. And I think that’s a world we should all live in harmony and peace.”"
Lucasfilm announced last month that Carano was no longer employed with the studio and “there are no plans for her to be in the future.” Carano was also dropped from her agency, UTA. The news came hours after Carano shared an Instagram story equating being a conservative today to being Jewish in Nazi Germany.
Lucasfilm’s statement from Feb. 10 read in part:
"“Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”"
Later, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that plans to cut Carano from Disney and Lucasfilm had been in the works for a while following several other social media posts in September and November 2020. Disney and Lucasfilm also confirmed to THR and other outlets that Carano’s Mandalorian character Cara Dune is not likely to be recast.
Days after her firing, Carano sat down with Ben Shapiro on The Ben Shapiro Show to talk about her experiences with Disney and Lucasfilm and to address her firing. She also defended her relationship with Pascal, saying “I adore Pedro. I adore him. I know he’s said and done some hurtful things. I don’t think posting anybody’s number on social media is okay.”
She also noted that she knew she was being watched closely:
"“They accidentally sent me an email which was very enlightening. So I knew they were paying close attention. I know that there are some people that went to bat for me, but I know that they didn’t really win out in the end.”"
According to Variety, during the shareholders meeting, Chapek also talked about the political and cultural polarization happening in the U.S. and how it impacts Disney’s creative content and company as a whole.
He said:
"“The fact is that we have a tremendous opportunity now to bring this country back together and unite people. One thing we can all agree on is the power of Disney to unite us all.”"