Jonathan Chait and MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Take Friendly Fire for Defending Fired Star Wars Actor Gina Carano: ‘Stop This Bullsh*t’
MSNBC host Chris Hayes and liberal New York magazine writer Jonathan Chait took heavy fire online for defending former The Mandalorian co-star Gina Carano.
Carano’s exit from the series was announced after the latest uproar over her social media posts, which included a comparison of American conservatives with persecuted and murdered Jews in Nazi Germany.
Chait wrote a lengthy commentary entitled “Firing Actors for Being Conservative Is Another Hollywood Blacklist,” in which he directly compared Carano’s situation with that of people who were persecuted during the McCarthy era.
To underscore the point, Chait tweeted the article with the caption “I don’t see any principled distinction between the 50s Hollywood blacklist and what just happened to Gina Carano.”
I don’t see any principled distinction between the 50s Hollywood blacklist and what just happened to Gina Carano https://t.co/cwxokK8XbF
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) February 12, 2021
He also defended her from the charge of antisemitism, writing that “overheated comparisons to Nazi Germany are quite common, and, more to the point, not anti-Semitic. There is no hint anywhere in this post of sympathy for Nazis or blame for their victims.”
Hayes chimed in to agree, tweeting the article and writing “I’ve got my quibbles here and there, but basically agree with this.”
I’ve got my quibbles here and there, but basically agree with this. https://t.co/oSnaVSdzQ8
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 12, 2021
Both faced severe backlash, much of it from other liberals who saw some key differences between Carano and the McCarthy blacklist, disagreed on the antisemitism issue, or otherwise rejected the premise that Carano was fired simply for being conservative.
It’s like you’re forgetting that codes of conduct exist in every workplace. And that actors sign contracts that specifically govern their social media use. And that violating the terms of a contract are a reason to terminate the business relationship. https://t.co/PLR7VIpgPz
— Openly Black Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) February 12, 2021
She wasn’t fired for being conservative. Disney was well aware that she was conservative. Jesus Christ, dude.
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) February 12, 2021
I can’t handle these people with enormous audiences absolutely refusing to stand up against antisemitism. I cannot handle it.
If you only stand up against antisemitism when it’s blatant and obvious, and ignore it when it’s subtle and nuanced, you endanger Jewish lives.
Period https://t.co/gg7sl4ie7j
— Erin Biba (@erinbiba) February 12, 2021
I do, I do! https://t.co/fXYo0hDogw pic.twitter.com/rAwfRavqcK
— Simon Abrams (@simonsaybrams) February 12, 2021
Gina Carano isn’t being blacklisted for being a “conservative”. She pushed The Big Lie along with transphobic & anti-Semitic tropes on social media. If you want to work in the public eye, maybe don’t support a criminal traitor who incited a deadly insurrection ? #ByeGina https://t.co/yemXnLX63m
— Give Tara Dublin Josh Hawley’s Book Deal (@taradublinrocks) February 12, 2021
I agree her recent post was a vapid trivialization of the Holocaust but not by itself antisemitic. But comparing studio parting ways w/actor who’s posted other antisemitic, bigoted dreck to the horrors of the actually-antisemitic H’wood blacklist is unfathomably ignorant +obscene https://t.co/tVvj8pbDqI
— Eli Valley (@elivalley) February 12, 2021
she posted antisemitic memes!!! lots of them!! going back awhile!! https://t.co/iDojXqX7lu
— Talia Lavin (@chick_in_kiev) February 12, 2021
She wasn’t Fired for being a “Conservative” Chris.
Stop this bullshit. https://t.co/Cpi5zW98SV— Hal Sparks (@HalSparks) February 12, 2021
Are you *fucking* kidding me.
No one is “cancelled” for being conservative. They are being called out for transphobia, racism, anti-mask/anti-vaxx/anti-science bullshit, COMPARING CALLOUTS TO NAZI PERSECUTION.
This is not blacklisting. This is that free market they so love. https://t.co/lh43VyRyoV
— Courtney Enlow (@courtenlow) February 12, 2021
Her statements about voter fraud are a complete lie and undermine the country. There is no obligation for any employer to keep liars who undermine democracy employed ( read Erwin Chemerinsky’s book on free speech.) it’s also bad for business so Hollywood is within bounds here. https://t.co/QJDxzryxyK
— Howard Dean (@GovHowardDean) February 12, 2021
Carano posting something that trivialized the Holocaust after posting an anti-Semitic image and promoting Protocols of the Elders of Zion enthusiast David Icke’s covid truthering to her Instagram followers suggests one distinction. https://t.co/EbVfQfM975
— Tim Marchman (@timmarchman) February 12, 2021
2) her detailed post asserting, “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children,” is a sentiment that would legitimately allow a private company to fire her. Movie and TV sets have hundreds of people working on them. Many would be..
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) February 12, 2021
Conservatism = anti-Semitism? Is that the basic argument here? https://t.co/8nSxTdtQEY
— Unite in justice for the poor & oppressed (@BreeNewsome) February 12, 2021
White people will always defend white supremacy, huh? https://t.co/Lxdiq35SPb
— Wagatwe Wanjuki ?? ?? (@wagatwe) February 12, 2021
Chait had his defender.
Disney should rehire her, as they did James Gunn (also the right call). They are rewarding the mob’s fit over a hyperbolic, not hateful, post. And we’ll lose a strong, interesting actress in this role who makes fight scenes badass and believable. https://t.co/iKZq63P4DG
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) February 12, 2021
Hayes engaged some of the criticism, and eventually honed his commentary somewhat.
I mean I think this gets at that the nub of the issue, which I’m not sure there is an obvious solution for, which is that her posts are more and more what mainstream conservatism looks like. Tens of millions of people who post like that.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 12, 2021
I don’t disagree with that. To me the question is about the appropriate consequence. Firing someone over expressions of their views, even vile ones, is a pretty big deal. It’s different to me than denying someone a platform, or a speaking invitation, etc.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 12, 2021
I refuse to treat bigotry as a view that can be expressed without consequence. I am all for freedom of expression but it does not happen in a vacuum. We have cultural norms and repudiating oppressive ideologies is absolutely necessary.
— roxane gay (@rgay) February 12, 2021
I mean I spend a ton of time on precisely that. I just wrote an entire essay about it, I’ve spent hours and hours chronicling the degree to which “ordinary conservatism” is more and more synonymous with the kind of worldview on display in her posts.I mean clearly lots and lots…
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 12, 2021
Of people I really respect who think this is clearly fire-able and I’m very wrong and this is obviously over the line.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 12, 2021
In announcing Carano’s departure, Lucasfilm released a statement that read “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
