- Ayo Edebiri called Elon Musk an “idiot” on her Instagram story for spreading a fake casting rumor.
- The rumor claimed Edebiri was being eyed for a new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie.
- Musk shared the fake info on X, writing, “Disney sucks.” Edebiri said it triggered online attacks.
“The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri has some choice words for DOGE overseer Elon Musk after he helped spread a fake casting rumor last year that she said triggered a slew of attacks against her.
“Just remembering when I got some of the most insane death threats and racial slurs of my life (idk if it’s the #1 moment, but for sure top 3) for a fake reboot of a movie I had never even heard of because of this man LMAO,” Edebiri wrote on her Instagram story Tuesday night.
“So not only is he double s**g h**l-ing fascist, he’s an idiot,” she added, alluding to gestures that Musk performed at President Donald Trump’s inauguration rally that many interpreted as Nazi salutes; “seig heil,” meaning “hail victory” in German, was a rallying cry adopted and popularized by the Nazi party. (After his gesture sparked backlash, Musk told Joe Rogan he is “not a Nazi.”)
Edebiri also shared a screenshot of the rumor in question, which was circulated last February by the X account @unlimited_ls, which is dedicated to sharing political news and “social injustice” from a conservative angle.
The rumor claimed that Edebiri was being eyed as a “replacement” for Johnny Depp in a new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie.
Depp last starred as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fifth installment of the franchise, “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” released in 2017. He was set to appear in a sixth film, but according to court testimony, plans for “Pirates of the Caribbean 6” were scrapped after Depp’s ex-wife, Amber Heard, wrote an op-ed about domestic abuse.
Ayo Edebiri/Instagram
Musk reshared the rumor on his own X account, writing, “Disney sucks.” The original post has since been deleted, but Musk’s is still live.
The person who runs @unlimited_ls shared a reaction to Edebiri’s criticism on Wednesday morning, calling the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor “unhinged.”
“Ayo Edebiri waited over a year to address rumors and credible reports circulating in Hollywood from trustworthy sources. And, of course, she attacks Elon Musk,” the post reads.
The @unlimited_ls user also clarified that their original post with the unverified rumor was deleted by mistake.
“I never made any claims; I clearly stated ‘reportedly’ because it was the latest information coming from credible Hollywood sources,” they wrote in a follow-up post. “And yes, I am a HUGE fan and supporter of Mr. Musk. He has my loyalty for LIFE, and I don’t say that lightly.”
The casting rumor about Edebiri was not reported by any reputable trade publications; it seems to have originated with Daniel Richtman, a self-styled Hollywood insider who shared unverified details on his Patreon.
Richtman’s blog post was picked up by Comic Book Resources, but the rumor gained more traction in the wake of Musk’s repost, finding its way onto film blogs like JoBlo and ComingSoon.net.
After the post by @unlimited_ls went viral, Richtman chimed in to say its framing was disingenuous. “There’s no ‘Replacing Depp’ or anything like that. She’s only the ‘Type’ they’re looking at for the lead in one of the planned spinoffs,” he wrote.
Outrage over the claim that Edebiri, a Black woman, would be “replacing” Depp, a white man, seemed fueled by the ongoing right-wing backlash to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, also known as “DEI,” which are designed to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality, or other protected classes.
Many opponents of DEI have conflated antidiscrimination efforts in the workplace and government with Hollywood’s recent push for more inclusive casting. Female actors who’ve joined major movie franchises in the last decade, including Kelly Marie Tran (“The Last Jedi”) and Brie Larson (“Captain Marvel”), have recounted similar experiences with sexist and often racist abuse on social media.
Musk has long been a vocal opponent of diversity initiatives in the corporate world, even before the second Trump administration officially launched its anti-DEI campaign.
As Business Insider reported, Musk’s DOGE office has recently been working to pause and, in some cases, entirely cut government programs by flagging keywords like “equity,” “gender,” and “gay.”
Representatives for Edebiri and Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
