Was Rachel Zegler fired by Disney? The rumor, explained

The release of Disney’s live-action Snow White was surrounded by controversy involving its star, Rachel Zegler. Many rumors spread alleging Zegler was fired from the project, stirred up by her outspoken political views and a supposed feud with co-star Gal Gadot. It’s hard not to believe the rumors with all the backlash toward Zegler, but the truth is simpler than it seems.

Zegler’s public comments caught a lot of attention. She openly criticized the original 1937 animated Snow White, pointing out its outdated depiction of women and the “guy who literally stalks her,” as the prince chasing Snow White. She later reversed and reiterated her comments in interviews, as reported by the New York Post, but the damage was done by then.

I love older Disney movies, and my personal favorite film from the studio is Beauty and the Beast. However, it is hard to want to watch a remake knowing the lead badmouthed the original, even after it gets backtracked in future interviews. Unfortunately, it seems that the controversies only got worse from there.

Has Rachel Zegler been fired from Disney?

Rachel Zegler has not been fired, but keep in mind that these rumors shouldn’t be taken seriously anyway. It is nearly impossible to fire Zegler because the movie is already out and paid for. Right now, the part of Zegler’s contract that needs to be fulfilled is press interviews and appearances. Unless Zegler starts badmouthing the movie or saying something too outrageous, Disney only benefits from having her promote the movie — she’s already been paid to do so.

If Disney were to pull Zegler out, it would only confirm that the movie did not go Disney’s way, which would hurt it. Snow White is an important movie to the studio because it represents Walt’s first huge achievement, and Disney wouldn’t dare harm it purposefully. However, based on everything that’s happened, Zegler likely won’t be working with Disney again anytime soon.

Some people think Zegler has been fired because of the many controversies over what she’s said. She expressed her support for Palestinian liberation on social media, which likely clashed with her co-star Gal Gadot’s stance as a strong supporter of Israel and a former member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The significant difference in their political views reportedly created tension between the two actresses. There were reports of a difficult relationship, culminating in a reportedly awkward moment at the Academy Awards when they presented an award together but did not interact warmly. This rumored feud between Zegler and Gadot, reported by Style Caster, is thought to have negatively impacted the film’s marketing efforts.

Within Disney, there were concerns about Zegler’s outspoken behavior. Sources told Page Six that Disney executives reached out to Zegler and her management, asking her to tone down her public comments. “Disney’s lead actress is out of control. They don’t know what to do,” an insider told the outlet.

According to the source, “She’s an outspoken 20-something and Disney chiefs have called her directly and asked her to tone down her posts. They’ve called her management, but she won’t listen.” These requests reportedly did not work, leading Disney to minimize the film’s promotional efforts. The press tour and premiere were much smaller than expected, which further fueled speculation about a divide between Zegler and the studio.

While this could all be overlooked if Snow White did well, this isn’t the case. According to Forbes, Snow White has gotten around $43 million in the opening weekend at the box office. The weekend numbers tend to have a lot to do with how much money a movie makes, and Snow White needs to bring in 209 million to break even with production costs.

Unfortunately, it seems like the issues behind the scenes have affected the movie, and getting 44% on Rotten Tomatoes didn’t help either. Zegler hasn’t been fired, but it is doubtful if she will be rehired for any future movies under the studio.