The hashtag #CancelDisneyPlus became a top trend late Wednesday on Twitter after Lucasfilm fired actress Gina Carano from the cast of the popular Disney Plus-Star Wars spinoff series The Mandalorian. Her firing came after Carano shared a social media post that critics say downplayed the experience of Jews during the Holocaust.
“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers buy by their neighbors… even by children,” read one of Carano’s social media posts in question, according to a purported screenshot. “‘Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?'” The actress deleted the tweet on Wednesday.
Just hours after Lucasfilm announced that it had fired Carano, “#CancelDisneyPlus” began trending, and ascended to the top trend on Twitter.
“You Guys Ready #CancelDisneyPlus,” tweeted one user.
“Gina Carano was completely correct. #CancelDisneyPlus,” tweeted conservative commentator Paul Joseph Watson.
Another user pointed out that if a company is to fire someone for comparing Nazis to people who live in present day, then some companies will have a lot of firing to do.
“Ok, let’s start firing people for making silly comparisons to Nazi Germany,” tweeted docuemtanry filmmaker Lauren Southern. “Your turn now progressive media. Chop chop! You’ve got quite the backlog to work on there! #CancelDisneyPlus.”
“Well I’m not sorry to be going! #CancelDisneyPlus,” tweeted another.
Other users were quick to point out that the political left banning or “canceling” political dissenters is not anything new.
“The blacklisting of Gina Carano is proof that the left views anyone who dissents as people who must be destroyed,” tweeted author and journalist Mike Cernovich. “They hate you. Don’t live in denial or pretend otherwise. Stop trying to be friends or debate them. They want you in gulags. Get your mind in the fucking game!”
Others pointed out the fact that Disney filmed Mulan in China — and even thanked officials operating security near the northwestern Xinjiang region, where a concentration camp for Uyghur Muslims operates.
“As long as Disney caters to China’s human rights abuses and literal concentration camps for $$$, pretty much any excuse they use to fire an actor over offensive social media posts is beyond ridiculous. It’s that simple,” tweeted writer and podcast host Stephen Miller.
Other users reminded the public that Disney had fired — and rehired — director James Gunn after it was revealed that he has a years-long history of “joking” about fantasies about raping and molesting children on Twitter.
“Disney canceled Gina Carano apparently because of a social media post where she highlighted the dangers of dehumanizing others, but they rehired someone who made numerous disturbing remarks about rape and pedophilia,” noted journalist Ian Miles Cheong. “Just so you know, this is where Disney stands on morality.”
As of this reporting, Gina Carano has yet to publicly comment on her firing.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.