Pedro Pascal, Bear Grylls, and former Disney CEO Bob Chapek are among the big names who could be forced to testify in Gina Carano’s ongoing lawsuit against the House of Mouse.
Carano included their names among a list of potential witnesses for her case, which accused Disney of violating California labor law by booting her from the flagship Disney+ show “The Mandalorian” because of her personal views.
In 2021, Disney said Carano would not return to the show after she made social media posts comparing conservatives in America to Jews in the Holocaust, questioning the results of the 2020 election and the use of masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, and appearing to mock displaying pronouns to support transgender people.
Carano’s lawsuit, funded by Elon Musk and filed in February, comes just short of calling Disney a hive of scum and villainy — accusing the company of unjustly firing her for her views, which are protected by the First Amendment.
It also says Disney discriminated against her gender, allowing left-leaning actors to air their political views without punishment.
Disney says Carano was never truly fired — only that her character was no longer included in the “Star Wars” universe — and that the company has a First Amendment right to disassociate itself from her political viewpoints.
Last week, US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, an appointee of President Joe Biden, denied Disney’s motion to dismiss the case, finding that Disney’s First Amendment defenses didn’t make the company immune under California’s anti-discrimination laws.
Carano’s request for testimony was included in a joint filing on Friday. Lawyers for Disney and Carano proposed a September 25, 2025 trial date. Before then, both sides are expected to take depositions.
Carano said she wants “The Mandalorian” creator Jon Favreau, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and Lucasfilm publicist Lynn Hale to testify, along with Chapek, Pascal, and Grylls.
According to Carano, Pascal spoke with her about transgender rights during the public firestorm about her social media remarks. Carano has also singled out Pascal as a “similarly situated” actor who has not been punished by Disney for his own social media posts, which include comparing Donald Trump and his supporters to Nazis, statements supporting LGBTQ+ people, and calls to “defund the police.”
Carano has also alleged that Disney punished her by pulling a planned episode of “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” from National Geographic. The company later restored the episode to its lineup after fan outcry, but Carano wasn’t included in promotional material for it, her lawsuit says.
Read the full article here
