Gina Carano Disney lawsuit explained

Gina Carano is arguably one of the most important women in the history of WMMA. Her time in the cage has been over for many years but her name still garners headlines for her various acting roles.

Unfortunately her latest headline isn't for a great reason. Instead it's because of a lawsuit surrounding several controversial comments she's made.

Here's what happened between Carano and Disney.

In 2020, Carano appeared to be in the best place she'd ever been in her career. She was reportedly making between $25,000 and $50,000 per episode to appear in The Mandalorian and was rumored to be getting a significant pay increase for the new season.

But a series of controversial tweets derailed all that.

What were the tweets that got Gina Carano fired?

See a few of the tweets that sparked the backlash.

She also tweeted things that some considered transphobic.

The breaking point, according to The Hollywood Reporter, was when "she shared a post suggesting that being a Republican today was akin to being Jewish in the time leading up to the Holocaust."

After that, she was dropped by Lucasfilm and UTA and Disney described her comments as “abhorrent and unacceptable.”

The firing caused a political outcry with politicians on the right and the left speaking out about the decision.

Flashforward to 2024.

On Feb. 6, she announced she'll be suing Disney for wrongful termination, with the help of Elon Musk.

"Artists do not sign away our rights as American citizens when we enter into employment," she wrote. "I have spoken to all my co-stars since I was fired & there is nothing but care and kind words between us. I respect their right to free speech & do not have to think the same on every issue to be their friends & work with them & I know they feel the same towards me."

X’s head of business operations Joe Benarroch said of the lawsuit, “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 also said, “My words were consistently twisted to demonize & dehumanize me as an alt right wing extremist.”

The lawsuit claims that Disney ignored liberal-leaning actors making disparaging tweets about Republicans and Disney required her to "to meet with representative of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination and demanded a public apology."

Will Gina Carano win her lawsuit?

No one knows for sure how the lawsuit will fare, but many, including The Hollywood Reporter believes it will be a tough battle for the former MMA star.

California is an "at-will" state which means, "either the employer or employee may break off the relationship with no liability, provided that the employee has no contract for a definite term or that the employer has not recognized a labor union."

Additionally, Carano is not protected by the First Amendment as she was not employed in the public sector.

The entire lawsuit can be found here.