James Gunn
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UPDATE: James Gunn issued another statement after being fired from Disney which you can read here. Original story below:

Disney has cut all ties with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director James Gunn after old tweets of his were unearthed by conservative supporters of Donald Trump.  Gunn, a vocal critic of Trump, had posted tweets that made jokes about pedophilia– “I like when little boys touch me in my silly place”– and rape– “The best thing about being raped is when you’re done being raped and it’s like ‘whew this feels great, not being raped!’”  Other posts made light of 9/11, AIDS and the Holocaust.

Walt Disney Studios chairman, Alan Horn reacted quickly and decisively, issuing a statement reading:

“The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values, and we have severed our business relationship with him.”

Gunn took to Twitter to defend himself and the message were saved by Fox News before they were deleted:

1. Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humor.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
2. It’s not to say I’m better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it’s shocking and trying to get a reaction are over.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
4. For the record, when I made these shocking jokes, I wasn’t living them out. I know this is a weird statement to make, and seems obvious, but, still, here I am, saying it.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018
5. Anyway, that’s the completely honest truth: I used to make a lot of offensive jokes. I don’t anymore. I don’t blame my past self for this, but I like myself more and feel like a more full human being and creator today. Love you to you all.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 20, 2018

UPDATE: Gunn has since reinstated his Twitter account and below are the actual tweets:

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously, Gunn’s tweets were jokes, but the same thing could be said for conservative Roseanne Barr, whose offending tweets resulted in the cancellation of her hit sitcom.  This might make people think first before sounding off on social media.  Even if one deletes their tweets, if someone takes a screen cap, and releases them, they’re still screwed.  Gunn’s tweets were made when he was essentially a nobody, but now he was one of the shepherds of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, a decidedly family-friendly brand.  Obviously, pedophilia and rape jokes don’t mesh with that.

Perhaps it’s time to think before you tweet.  In cyberspace, no one can hear that sarcastic tone in your voice.  This latest has just cost Gunn who knows how many millions, as he was due to direct ‘Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3’ sometime in the next couple of years.  His removal is bound to disappoint fans, but you reap what you sow and these days, we’re seeing sins in the past can’t just be explained away by chalking things up to being young and stupid.

Source: Deadline