Emmy-winning actress Ayo Edebiri has said she received death threats and racial abuse after Elon Musk falsely suggested Disney was considering her as a replacement for Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
The Bear star said she experienced some of the worst hate speech of her life after the world’s richest man shared unsubstantiated claims about a reboot of the blockbuster movie series in a post on his social media platform, X.
“Just remembering when I got some of the most insane death threats and racial slurs of my life,” Edebiri said in a story posted on Instagram.
She shared a screenshot of Musk’s post from February last year when rumors were swirling that Disney was considering Edebiri as a potential lead in a reboot of the franchise. In response to the story, the billionaire commented, “Disney sucks.”
Edebiri was flooded with hate speech “for a fake reboot of a movie I had never even heard of” as a result of Musk escalating the rumor. She further said that “not only is he double s**g h**1-ing fascist, he’s an idiot.”
Musk was accused of making a Nazi salute during President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, something he dismissed as a “tired” attack.
Discussions about reviving the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise have circulated for years. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said last year that a reboot with writer Jeff Nathanson was in development, but no concrete plans or timelines have been confirmed.
Nathanson worked on the most recent installment of the five-film series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which was released in 2017.
Bruckheimer said he wanted Depp back as Jack Sparrow, but the actor’s return remains uncertain. He previously ruled out working with Disney again after being dropped from the role amidst a domestic abuse controversy involving his former wife Amber Heard.
With Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, the franchise grossed $4.5 billion worldwide over its 14-year run.
Some fans said they would love to see Edebiri as part of the franchise, noting that she’s “literally Caribbean.” The 29-year-old was born in Boston to a mother from Barbados and a father from Nigeria.
In another Instagram post, the actress joked, “I’ve changed my mind, maybe we could make some money idk lmk,” despite suggesting that Disney had “no DEI.” The company is among several American corporations that have adjusted their diversity policies following Trump’s re-election.
Disney faced backlash for casting Black actress Halle Bailey as Ariel in the 2023 live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, with critics calling it a result of “woke politics” and forced diversity. Others defended the casting and described the pushback – including the #NotMyAriel hashtag trending on social media – as racist.
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