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James Gunn has lost his position as DC Studios’ co-CEO after leading the studio for four years. Both James Gunn and Peter Safran were replaced by former Marvel executive Jeremy Latcham. While DC fans might be surprised, it’s not new for long-time Marvel fans.
Back in 2018, Disney fired Gunn from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise after several of his tweets resurfaced. The posts contained offensive jokes about r*pe, children, and other serious subjects.
The controversy became so big that Disney decided to cut ties with the director, despite his success with the franchise. So, what exactly happened in 2018 that led Disney to fire one of its assets?
Why Did Disney Fire James Gunn From Guardians of the Galaxy?
In July 2018, as reported by Deadline, several of James Gunn’s old tweets resurfaced and went viral. The posts included offensive jokes about pedophilia, r*pe, and more. One tweet even made inappropriate jokes about young boys touching him, while another was about assault. Although Gunn had written these posts years earlier, the outrage spread like wildfire.
Many people felt that such jokes were inappropriate coming from someone who works with Disney. However, the timing of the controversy also raised questions. Gunn was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, and his old tweets were brought into the spotlight by conservative commentators who disagreed with his political views.
Disney responded almost immediately to this. Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn described Gunn’s old statement as “indefensible” and said it did not match the company’s values. Disney then ended its working relationship with him. Gunn was also no longer expected to appear at Comic-Con. The decision shocked many, as Gunn was an important part of the Marvel franchise.
What Did James Gunn Say After Disney Fired Him?
James Gunn didn’t deny writing the tweets. Instead, he admitted that his humor had been offensive and explained why he shared those jokes. He once enjoyed shocking people with jokes about subjects that were usually considered inappropriate. He even described his younger self as someone who deliberately tried to get a reaction.
However, he insisted that he had changed. He explained how he no longer wanted to create humor simply to upset people. Instead, he wanted his work to focus more on love and human connections. Gunn also went ahead to clarify that the jokes didn’t mean he had actually done the things he wrote about.
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