Did Snow White’s Rachel Zegler get Gina Carano fired? Drama explained

Daisy Phillipson
Rachel Zegler in West Side Story and Gina Carano in The Mandalorian

Snow White’s live-action movie has been mired in controversy due to its lead star Rachel Zegler, sparking a heated debate online. Amid the tumult, a theory has emerged: Zegler helped to get Gina Carano fired from The Mandalorian. Here’s what actually happened.

Disney is no stranger to controversy when it comes to its live-action remakes, but arguably none have proven to be quite so divisive as the upcoming Snow White remake. Why? Because of its lead star Rachel Zegler and some comments she made in a 2022 interview. 

The clips went viral in August 2023, showing the actress, who is set to play the titular princess, slamming the original Snow White and suggesting the prince was a “stalker.” She also spoke about changing the narrative to focus on female empowerment rather than “love.”

Since then, she’s been accused of pushing an “anti-feminist” agenda, while others criticized her for taking on a role for a film she doesn’t approve of. As for the movie itself, the Snow White live-action remake is set to face delays. And now Gina Carano has been brought into the mix. Warning: Some may find this content distressing. 

Did Snow White’s Rachel Zegler get Gina Carano fired?

No, Snow White actress Rachel Zegler isn’t the reason Gina Carano was fired by Lucasfilm two years back – but there’s a reason why people think she is. 

For context, former MMA fighter Carano appeared as Cara Dune in The Mandalorian Seasons 1 & 2, but in February 2021 she was dropped by Lucasfilm and told she could not appear in any future Star Wars projects following a number of controversial posts she made on social media. 

Arguably her most shocking entry appeared to compare modern-day political differences in America to being a Jewish person in the Holocaust. “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children,” she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram Story. 

Instagram Story from Gina Carano

“Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views.”

But months beforehand, in September 2020, Carano was accused of targeting the trans community after facing calls to add her pronouns to her Twitter/X account. In response, she changed her bio to “boop/bop/beep”.

She later explained in a tweet: “They’re mad cuz I won’t put pronouns in my bio to show my support for trans lives. After months of harassing me in every way. I decided to put three VERY controversial words in my bio.. beep/bop/boop. I’m not against trans lives at all. They need to find less abusive representation.” 

Tweet by Gina Carano

And this is where Zegler comes in. Just a couple of hours later, the Snow White actress took to Twitter/X to write: “Do not make fun of pronouns.”

In a follow-up tweet, she said: “They are not a joke! Pronouns are validating! Pronouns are cool! Put your pronouns in your bio! I wear my pronouns on a button sometimes! It’s a good thing! Bye!” 

Zegler finished by commenting: “It’s a fun time to remind you all to love Pedro Pascal.”

Tweets by Rachel Zegler

In light of the recent Snow White backlash, Zegler shared a tweet in which she said: “I hope the world becomes kinder.” And Carano has since shared the message, alongside a gif with the word “boop” – seemingly a dig at the star for her past comments. 

Numerous people have now weighed in on the situation, accusing Zegler of celebrating or helping to get Carano fired by Lucasfilm. That includes YouTuber ThatUmbrellaGuy, who shared a video titled ‘Rachel Zegler cancelled Johnny Depp and Gina Carano, now Disney’s Snow White is cancelled.’

Elsewhere, a Twitter/X user highlighted The Mandalorian star’s “boop” response, writing: “Three years ago Rachel Zegler sent her fans to bully Gina Carano over the ‘boop/bop/beep’ pronouns thing. Gina just called Rachel out as a lying hypocrite after she tweeted: ‘I hope the world becomes kinder.’ Rachel Zegler is finally reaping what she sowed.”

Another said: “Disney’s new woke Snow White @rachelzegler cheered the cancellation and firing of @ginacarano over Carano’s mockery of putting her pronouns in her bio. This new Snow White movie is going to be a disaster for Disney.”

“Maybe Rachel Zegler should take her own advice and treat others with patience and empathy – starting with Gina Carano,” added a third. 

Although an overwhelming majority of comments on the situation are along the same lines, a number of fans have jumped in to defend Zegler. As said by one Twitter/X user: “@rachelzegler is kind, that’s why she called out @ginacarano for offending so many people.”

“When’s Gina Carano going to apologize for her antisemitic comments about the Holocaust and her mocking disregard for trans people?” asked another. “Y’all are acting like Gina didn’t get fired for her own sh*tty behavior. Gina deserved what she got. Kindness begets kindness.”

To read more about the Snow White controversy, check out the coverage below: 

About The Author

Daisy is a Senior TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's a lover of all things macabre, whether that be horror, crime, psychological thrillers or all of the above. After graduating with a Masters in Magazine Journalism, she's gone on to write for Digital Spy, LADbible and Little White Lies. You can contact her on daisy.phillipson@dexerto.com