Gina Carano not returning to 'The Mandalorian' after social media controversy

Gina Carano will no longer be in The Mandalorian after sparking outrage with a social media post about Jewish people.

The US actor – who starred as mercenary Cara Dune in the Disney+ hit – triggered a backlash after reports that she likened the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust to the current political climate in the US in a social media message which has since been deleted.

It led to the the hashtag #FireGinaCarano start trending on Twitter – and the hashtag #CancelDisneyPlus is now gathering pace amid the controversy.

Read more: Gina Carano says shock Mandalorian finale cameo wasn't even in the script

Carano, 38, was accused of comparing being a Republican now to being Jewish under Nazi rule.

Watch: Gina Carano draws criticism for social media posts

Lucasfilm has now confirmed that there are “no plans” for the actor to be in the Star Wars show going forwards, calling her social media comments “abhorrent and unacceptable”.

A spokesperson said in a statement: “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."

It is not the first time that Carano has triggered controversy.

In November, some viewers called for her to be axed from The Mandalorian after she appeared to mock mask-wearing during the coronavirus pandemic.

The former mixed martial arts star penned a series of tweets in which she ridiculed the use of masks and face coverings.

One meme read: “Breaking news, Democratic government leaders now recommends [sic] we all wear blindfolds along with masks so we can't see what's really going on.”

Read more: Our review of the Mandalorian finale

Carano played Cara in seasons one and two of the Star Wars spin-off.

She has also appeared on the big screen in films including Haywire and Deadpool.

Additional reporting by PA.