Gina Carano declared that she would not fall without a fight in her first interview since she was fired from the Disney + series The Mandalorian, accusing the company of intimidating it and having a double standard.
Carano broke the silence with his new boss Ben Shapiro, sitting down with the conservative commentator for a special Sunday episode. The Ben Shapiro Show where she claimed to have learned on social media that she had been eliminated from Star Wars franchise earlier this month.
The former MMA fighter faced widespread reaction when she reshared a post that suggested that being conservative in 2021 was similar to being Jewish during the Holocaust. Lucasfilm quickly severed ties with her, saying that “Carano’s posts on social media denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are disgusting and unacceptable”. Prior to this Holocaust post, Carano also scoffed at the trans use of pronouns, shared the conspiracies of QAnon and Pizzagate, and is an avowed skeptic of COVID who has repeatedly downplayed both the pandemic and the use of a mask.
There was radio silence from Carano about her resignation until Shapiro announced that she had joined his conservative news and opinion website. The Daily Wire to produce a film in which she would star. He later said he would do an interview with the camera to discuss his dismissal – news shared by Carano on Twitter, along with the message: “Become a member [of The Daily Wire] and get 25% discount on subscriptions using the code: GINA. “
Carano launched himself against Disney, admitting the script had been on the wall since she discussed the crisis with her bosses last year after she was accused of being transphobic.
“I’ve been through so much and seen so much now, clearly, of the bullying that’s going on, and I’ve seen it before,” she said. “I’m not the only one who has been intimidated by this company, and I know that deeply.”
“I was prepared at any moment to be dismissed because I saw this happen to so many people. I saw the expression on their faces. I saw the bullying that happens and when it started … you know it’s just a matter of time. I’ve seen it happen with so many people and I thought to myself ‘you’re coming for me, I know you are.’ ”(Carano did not quote any of these alleged people).
“Just a few weeks ago, Lucasfilm asked an artist they hired to delete my character and put a different character in place, and he proudly announces that on Twitter, and deletes my character and puts another character in place,” Carano added.
She also accused Disney of having a double standard, saying that executives were “watching [her] like a hawk ”, but others“ in the same production [could] say everything they want, and that’s when I had a problem. “
“I had a problem because I was not following the narrative,” added Carano. “I could share a story and change things in the media, but I can’t do that because it would be to betray a friend that I don’t really have the same views on, but I’m not going to betray someone to get my attention … everyone is afraid losing their job. “
“I could share a story and change things in the media, but I can’t do that because it would be cheating on a friend that I don’t really have the same views on, but I’m not going to cheat on someone to take my attention off … everyone is afraid of lose the job.“
Lucasfilm did not respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment at the time of publication.
Throughout the hour-long interview, Carano said he considers himself conservative, admitting that he was only recently interested in politics and one of Shapiro’s books helped to form his views.
She only briefly mentions the post that got her fired, which included a photo of a Jewish woman in underwear screaming as she ran away from men and boys armed with batons in Ukraine in 1941 during the Lviv pogroms.
“The Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers, but by their neighbors … even by children,” said the post that originated elsewhere. “As the story is edited, most people today do not realize that, to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily arrest thousands of Jews, the government first caused its own neighbors to hate them simply because they were Jews. How is this different from hating someone for their political opinions? “
Carano insisted that he was not trying to make comparisons, saying that he was “very inspired by the kind spirit of the Jewish people during” the Holocaust.
She said her only intention was to “bring people together” and that she believed the post was “more about people breaking up”.
When Shapiro tried to shift the conversation to a lighter tone and talk about his journey to Hollywood and his fitness regime, Carano made yet another attempt to control the damage.
“I want people to know that this hasn’t been easy,” she said. “I am a human being, I have a lot to learn and grow, and I am. I am deeply understanding, it is as if the curtains have been closed and I am seeing so much. “
“Being canceled can become fashionable one day, but don’t think that when it happens to you it will be easy because it is not. Perhaps it is one of the most difficult things you have been through. But with each passing day, you find your legs again, stop feeling sorry for yourself and appear. “
“My body is still shaking,” she added. “It’s devastating, but the idea of it happening to anyone else, especially to someone who couldn’t handle it the way I can, no, they can’t do it. They can’t make people feel that way. “
Once again, after her resignation, Carano was immediately hired by Shapiro’s The Daily Wire, whose first production has a much confused backstory.