Selma Blair quit Twitter over Disney’s firing of Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn after a series of offensive tweets from a decade ago were unearthed by a right wing media outlet.
Gunn was sacked when the tweets he posted about pedophilia and rape were uncovered by the Daily Caller.
Blair, 46, took to the social media network tweeting: ‘So long. You can find me on Instagram. #Istandwithjamesgunn,’ before deleting her profile completely.
Before deleting her account, the actress who is not part of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, shared a link on her Twitter to a petition that would see him reinstated with Disney.
She came to the Guardians of the Galaxy director’s defense saying ‘If people are punished despite changing, then what does that teach people about owning mistakes and evolving? This man is one of the good ones.’
‘So long. You can find me on Instagram. #Istandwithjamesgunn’: Actress Selma Blair quit Twitter in defense of Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn (left)
Blair tweeted she was quitting Twitter, before deleting her account completely
She also tweeted about Gunn being ‘a wonderful example of a man committed to owning up to past discretions.’
The 51-year-old director apologized for his past behavior telling fans he was now ‘very different than I was a few years ago’.
The old tweets by Gunn from between 2008 and 2009 included: ‘I like when little boys touch me in my silly place.’
In another he said: ‘The best thing about being raped is when you’re done being raped and it’s like ‘whew this feels great, not being raped!”
Nearly two dozen other tweets were captured in screenshots before he deleted his account.
Bautista is shown in character in the film
He defended himself saying: ‘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,’ he wrote.
‘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.
‘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.
‘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.’
OAN correspondent Jack Posobiec and right-wing commentator Mike Cernovich were reportedly among the conservative personalities who unearthed the tweets, according to Fox News.
The Daily Caller’s expose came after Gunn mocked conservative pundit Ben Shapiro while defending liberal actor Mark Duplass, who came under fire for encouraging his fans to follow Shapiro to hear views from the other side of the aisle.
Fox News reports that Gunn’s comments motivated the dig through the filmmaker’s social media history.
All of the tweets were posted before Gunn joined the Marvel Universe in 2014, but executives at Walt Disney Studios have decided to cut ties with him regardless.
‘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,’ chairman Alan Horn in a statement.
Gunn had been writing the script for Guardians 3 and was set to start filming in Atlanta this fall.
The studio has not commented on who may take his place in the movie expected to be released in 2020.