Hollywood Reporter mocks Elon Musk for ‘secret source’ document – that it published four years ago
Elon Musk reveals he will pay for more legal support against Disney, the latest in his feud with the company
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Your support makes all the difference.Elon Musk announced on his online platform X that he was sent Disney’s inclusion standards list by an “anonymous source,” only for him to be reminded by a Hollywood Reporter journalist that it was published by them four years ago.
“An anonymous source just sent me this from Disney,” the business magnate posted along with inclusion standards documents. “It is mandatory institutionalised racism and sexism.”
However, Kim Masters, an editor-at-large at The Hollywood Reporter, reminded Mr Musk of some exclusive reporting her outlet did back in 2020.
“I guess the secret source read The Hollywood Reporter in 2020 when we published this,” Ms Masters wrote in response to the businessman.
The Hollywood Reporter article highlighted that ABC, which operates under the Disney General Entertainment Content, was putting in place new standards to strengthen representation.
The inclusion standards documents include four different areas in which the company wanted to increase their inclusivity, such as on-screen representation, creative leadership, below-the-line, which included line producers and production departments and industry access and career developments.
“No wonder most of their content produced over the past several years has sucked. Just trying to navigate the DEI minefield is going to crush the creative process!” Mr Musk wrote in a follow-up tweet.
Mr Musk then declared that he would be happy to cover any legal costs to any of the company’s employees who have been “discriminated against”, quote-tweeting the inclusion standards.
“If you were discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries (ABC, ESPN, Marvel, etc), just reply to this post to receive legal support,” he pledged.
His offer did attract some well-known faces. Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympian and Keeping Up with the Kardashians star, aired her own discrepancies with Disney.
“Hulu (Disney subsidiary) never put me on my family’s show – I had been on since day 1 – when it switched from E!” she posted in reply to Mr Musk.
Mr Musk is no stranger to bankrolling Disney lawsuits, as recent reports revealed the Tesla CEO is funding a court case brought by actor Gina Carano, who is accusing Disney of unfairly firing her over tweets.
Mr Carano, an actor in the Star Wars show The Mandalorian, was fired in 2021 after what she claims was for voicing conservative thoughts and opinions on social media, including on Twitter.
“As a sign of X Corp’s commitment to free speech, we’re proud to provide financial support for Gina Carano’s lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination,” Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X, said in a statement to Reuters.
Mr Musk’s Disney resentment does not end there, however, as he also got into a spat with Disney chief executive Bob Iger.
Disney was one of the companies who decided to boycott their advertising on X, after Mr Musk posted an apparent endorsement of an antisemitic post.
During an onstage interview in November, Mr Musk said, “Go f*** yourself. Is that clear? Hey, Bob, if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise,” reported Vanity Fair.
The Independent has contacted Disney for comment.
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