Unless you’re a fan of MMA or Steven Soderbergh’s not-so-great films, you may not have been aware of who Gina Carano is before her appearance as Cara Dune on “The Mandalorian.” However, over the first two seasons of the “Star Wars” spinoff, Carano became a lightning rod for controversy on social media where fans saw that the actress shared some politically-charged, transphobic, anti-Semitic, and conspiracy theory-laden messages.
And eventually, after a recent tweet, Disney parted ways with Carano and the character will reportedly be gone from future episodes of “The Mandalorian.” Of course, this firing opened up a new controversy about what “cancel culture,” with Carano playing the role of a victim of harsh corporate “censorship” due to her beliefs. Most people don’t really buy that defense, but she does definitely have defenders, including her ‘Mandalorian’ co-star Bill Burr.
In a recent episode of the comedian’s “Bill Bert Podcast,” Burr opened up about the recent controversy surrounding “The Mandalorian,” specifically in regards to the dismissal of Gina Carano. As someone that makes a living with his stand-up comedy showcasing his abrasive, often funny takes, you can understand why Burr might be a little concerned about Disney letting go of Carano for some social media posts.
“It’s a weird time….Unless she did some truly horrible shit or said overtly racist shit,” Burr said. “I don’t know. I think there is just too many channels. And then you gotta do sensational shit…I don’t know what the fuck it is. I’m on that fucking show. Now, I gotta watch what the fuck I say.”
He added, “She was an absolute sweetheart. Super nice fucking person. And you know whatever and somehow someone will take this video and they’ll make me say something else and try to get rid of my bald action figure…It’s how it is out there. It’s fucking crazy times. People just waiting, laying in the weeds.”
It’s not surprising that Burr would defend his co-star. Obviously, Carano was well-liked by her co-workers or she likely wouldn’t have had such a major role on “The Mandalorian” and wouldn’t have been discussed with getting her own spinoff (which is obviously not happening now). And clearly, Burr is the type of stand-up comic that embraces dark, vulgar humor, so it makes sense that he’d be concerned about saying the wrong thing and being thrown off of a family-friendly Disney show. But as has been explained by tons of people since the Carano news, you also can’t blame Disney, the biggest family-friendly entertainment company on the planet, for not wanting to be associated with anyone that might sully their image. It just wouldn’t make sense.
“Now it’s becoming like, ‘Hey you made an ignorant comparison. [Flushing Sound] There goes your dream, right?” he said. “I look at that and it’s like, ‘Who the fuck stands up to that?’”
You can see the whole discussion below:
