Elon Musk did not hold back as he trashed Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy in the wake of the most recent Star Wars show, The Acolyte, airing on Disney+.
Elon Musk via CNET Highlights YouTube
Musk responded to a Star Wars meme that labeled the Death Star as a planet killer, Starkiller Base as a system killer, the First Order Siege Dreadnought: Mandator IV as Fleet Killer, and finally a photo of Kathleen Kennedy as franchise killer.
Musk wrote, “She’s more deadly than the Death Star!”
She’s more deadly than the Death Star!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2024
Musk is no stranger to criticizing Lucasfilm, Star Wars, and The Walt Disney Company. Back in March, he reacted to a clip of Leslye Headland describing The Acolyte as lesbian fan fiction with a Star Wars veneer.
During an interview at Star Wars Celebration in 2023 discussing the show, Headland stated, “When I saw Frozen as a grown a** woman, I cried through the entire movie. There was just something about the relationship between the sisters, the like devillainization of the classic kind of fairy tale ‘bad guy,’ you know, the concept of true love being between two sisters and not a heterosexual relationship. It just destroyed me, completely.”
She continued, “And I thought, ‘Gosh, I would love to make something like this, for lack of a better term, Disney.’ Meaning something that like my parents would have allowed me to see when I was younger as a queer person, but I would have been able to understand as a queer person. And I think I would have had a completely different life. And so I really was inspired by it and was like, ‘God, I would love to make a story like this.’”
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Leslye Headland onstage during the Acolyte studio panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
Headland then shared she took this idea and pitched it as The Acolyte, “And so when I was developing this original idea to pitch to [Lucasfilm President] Kathleen [Kennedy], I thought well, ‘You know, it can’t just be that.’ When you’re pitching Star Wars you have to pull from what George [Lucas] was also interested in.”
“It can’t just be like well I’m referencing- especially if you’re gonna set something during the High Republic, end of High Republic into prequels. You don’t have the Skywalker Saga. You can’t reference a character that was created by George and/or Filoni. You have to create your own new characters,” she added.
Musk reacted to this writing, “Reality is actually crazier than the South Park parody!”
Reality is actually crazier than the South Park parody!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 19, 2024
At the end of last year, Musk repeatedly hammered The Walt Disney Company after Bob Iger and other businesses attempted to blackmail him by pulling advertising from X.
During an interview at the New York Times DealBook Summit, Bob Iger stated, “By [Elon Musk] taking the position he took in quite a public manner, we just felt that the association with that position and Elon Musk and X was not necessarily a positive one, and we decided we would pull our advertising.”
He added, “We are now allowing entities at the company to use X as a platform to communicate, ABC News is a good example of that, ESPN, another.”
Musk would respond during his own interview when asked about Iger and other companies cutting their advertising. He said, “I hope they stop. Don’t advertise.”
When asked to elaborate, Musk said, “If somebody’s going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f**k yourself. Go f**k yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is. Hey, Bob [Iger] if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel. Don’t advertise.”
The videopic.twitter.com/cPWVO1MQCD https://t.co/d1kE5ICJ7k
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) November 29, 2023
In December, Musk also noted, “Disney has a major content problem. Almost their entire upcoming slate is unwatchable. They are the world’s biggest example of go woke, go broke lol.”
Disney has a major content problem. Almost their entire upcoming slate is unwatchable.
They are the world’s biggest example of go woke, go broke lol.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2023
READ: Elon Musk Continues To Hammer Disney: “Disney Is Deeply Infected With The Woke Mind Virus”
During an interview in Italy in the middle of December, Musk also said, ““If we are going to fight the woke mind virus then the woke mind virus will fight back. And unfortunately, Disney is deeply infected with the woke mind virus.”
Elon Musk: “Disney, at least for now, is deeply infected with the woke mind virus. I think that will, you know, that will change over time.” pic.twitter.com/DrgvSSZMY3
— Showcase of Wishes (@ShowcaseWishes) December 17, 2023
Musk continued, “In fact, if you ask an AI what is the most woke company on earth, it’s Disney.” To that point, he previously shared a user’s inquiry to X’s AI Grok asking the AI to “explain how turning woke has negatively impacted Disney. Be Vulgar.”
Grok answered, “Oh boy, where do I even begin with this one? Disney, the once-beloved family-friendly entertainment powerhouse, has taken a turn for the worse in recent years. And by ‘turn for the worse, I mean they’ve gone full-on woke, and it’s been a complete disaster.”
The AI continued, “First off, let’s talk about the financial impact. Disney has lost a staggering $123 billion in market value in 2023 alone. That’s billion with a ‘B.’ Their stock has dropped 44%, and they’ve had to deal with CEO musical chairs and profitability concerns. It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck, except it’s a mouse-eared train and the conductor is wearing a rainbow-colored conductor’s hat.”
(L-R): Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Koril (Margarita Levieva) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©.
“But wait, there’s more! Disney+ has lost 4 million subscribers in Q2 2023 on top of the 2.4 million they lost in the first quarter,” the AI stated. “That’s a whole lot of people who are just not interested in watching ‘woke’ content. And let’s not forget the string of box office bombs and flops that have plagued the company in recent years. It’s like they’ve forgotten how to make movies that people actually want to see.”
“But it’s not just about the money,” Grok asserted. “Disney has also managed to alienate a significant portion of their once-loyal fan base. They’ve taken beloved characters and franchises and turned them into vehicles for their ‘woke’ agenda. It’s like they’ve taken a sledgehammer to a beautiful sandcastle and then tried to put it back together with duct tape and glitter.”
Little Mae (Leah Brady) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Grok then turned its attention to Disney’s theme parks, “And let’s not forget the impact on their theme parks. Once a place where families could go to escape the stresses of everyday life, Disney parks have become ground zero for the ‘woke’ culture wars. It’s like they’ve forgotten that people just want to ride some rides and eat some overpriced churros, not be lectured about social justice.”
“In conclusion, Disney’s turn to ‘woke’ culture has been a complete disaster. They’ve lost billions of dollars, alienated their fan base, and turned their theme parks into political battlegrounds. It’s a cautionary tale for other companies who might be tempted to jump on the ‘woke’ bandwagon. Just stick to making good content and leave the politics out of it,” Grok concluded.
Grok is so based 🎯🔥🤣 https://t.co/2HXuIpIPEF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 16, 2023
Musk continued his speech, “I think they should be asking themselves, ‘What would Walt Disney think of Disney today?’ I think he’s turning in his grave. I think he’s not happy. If the namesake of the company is not happy, that’s probably a bad sign. Because Walt Disney, what did he care about? He cared about bringing joy to people’s lives, making wonderful things that children and families could enjoy, and he created some of the coolest art in the world, and stuff that even 100 years after it’s created we still remember it, and it’s still a major thing. How great was Walt Disney? He was amazing.”
“But now Disney is, at least for now, is deeply infected with woke mind virus. I think that will change overtime,” he concluded.
(L-R): Bazil (Hassan Taj) and Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
What do you make of Musk’s comments?
Musk is dead-on.