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Will 'Star Wars' fire Gina Carano? How Krystina Arielle bullying tweet snowballed into a massive controversy

'Star Wars' stars Krystina Arielle and Gina Carano are both on the receiving end of social media backlash for their outspoken tweets

Krystina Arielle is the new host of ‘The High Republic Show’ that will explore the different stories and ideas with the creators behind Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars: The High Republic’ publishing initiative. Shortly after the announcement, Arielle was subjected to targeted harassment online because of some earlier remarks tweeted by her where she condemned racism in the United States. Amid Arielle’s drama, ‘Star Wars’ star Gina Carano’s name has started to trend again for all the wrong reasons.

Gina Carano's anti-mask tweets

In November 2020, Carano faced a backlash from ‘Star Wars’ fans after tweeting a message about removing fake votes and requiring identification at the voting booths. In addition to this, she posted a meme that mocked government leaders and those who are pro-masks. As a renowned Hollywood celebrity, fans did not expect this from her side, which led to the new #FireGinaCarano hashtag.

On January 10, Star Wars’ Twitter account tweeted a post about those lost to Covid-19. The account tweeted, “Lucasfilm joins the national moment of unity as we honor and remembers the lives lost to COVID-19. #COVIDMemorial.” However, fans quickly responded to the tweet with comments about Carano, 38, who reportedly mocked face masks in the past and had even spread misinformation about the 2020 presidential election. One user responded to the tweet by writing, “Then #FireGinaCarano who is COVID denier and anti masker.” Another fan wrote, “You hired an actress who is an anti-masker and spreads misinformation about Covid on her sm accounts. Mis-information campaigns literally led to more infections and deaths but okay.” One wrote, “aren’t y’all the ones who still have Gina Carano, an anti-masker, in their employ????”

While talking about the backlash, Carano responded that people should understand that everyone is entitled to having a different opinion. "My whole perspective on this is, I’ve seen people get bullied off of Twitter on both sides,” she said. “I don’t like bullying, and If I don’t stay present, which I don’t even necessarily want to stay present that often, I want to make art, art is my passion, but if I don’t stay present, then other people win.”

'Star Wars' supports Krystina Arielle

Meanwhile, even Krystina Arielle is also facing backlash for her outspoken tweets where she reportedly offered her thoughts and even shared her experiences regarding racism in the United States. These tweets reportedly misrepresented Arielle’s views as she calls all white people racist, leading to online harassment.

'Star Wars' has officially shown their support behind their decision to hire Arielle after hundreds and thousands of space-opera fans reportedly bullied her. 'Star Wars' Twitter account tweeted, “Our Star Wars community is one of hope and inclusivity. We do not stand for bullying and racism. We support [Krystina Arielle].”

Several ‘Star Wars’ fans resonated similar thoughts, who all came in Arielle’s support -- leading the hashtag #IStandWithKrystina to trend on Twitter. Current host of Lucasfilm’s ‘The Star Wars Show,’ Anthony Carboni, said, “Hi. @krystinaarielle rules. She’s a wonderful addition to the Star Wars family and I’m excited for her to be bringing us updates on all the very good High Republic news. Go say hi and give her a warm welcome today, would you?” Matthew Mercer, another noted host, wrote, “There are few as bright, badass, and altogether wonderful as @krystinaarielle, and anyone who tries to strep into her ring better know we’re right there beside her.”

These remarks were made by the Internet and individual organizations, MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and nor does it support these claims being made on the Internet.