Ayo Edebiri found herself caught right in the middle when the false rumour spread like wildfire that the actress would be stepping into Johnny Depp’s shoes for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The false rumour gained momentum through the month of February 2024 and took a darker turn when tech entrepreneur Elon Musk retweeted it on the now-called-X platform, which brought forth a storm of harassment online against the The Bear actress.
Musk’s tweet “Disney sucks” provoked harassment against Edebiri through racial slurs and death threats. The incident not only put the risks involved with unsubstantiated social media accusations into the limelight but also challenged the role played by prominent personalities towards disinformation prevention.
Its origin is unknown, but it spread like wildfire across social media sites, leading users into believing that Disney had cast Edebiri for a starring role. The rumors emerged without any word from Disney or Edebiri or any trustworthy Hollywood source. After Musk posted the unsubstantiated rumor with his vast following, the controversy hit full swing and the backlash against Edebiri became worse.
Elon Musk, whose aggressive and sometimes provocative social media presence is no secret, was a leading catalyst for the spread of the false narrative. His sarcastic remark about Disney, a company he had publicly attacked many times previously, took the matter further, driving many of his followers into online harassment against Edebiri.
This is not the first instance where Musk employed his platform for the spread of misinformation, but the incident highlighted the potential for his words to translate into real-world actions, especially when targeting public members of marginalized groups. By tweeting the assertion prior to confirming its validity, Musk was complicit in the spread of misinformation currently afflicting online platforms.
In March 2025, Edebiri took to Instagram to make a public statement regarding the false story and the harassment. She called Musk an “idiot” and reprimanded his behavior online in a raw story posting.
“Just remembering when I got some of the craziest death threats and racist insults of my life (idk if it’s the #1 time, but def top 3) for a fake reboot of a movie I didn’t even know existed because of this guy,” Edebiri wrote, with the phrase “LMAO.”
In spite of the negativity, Edebiri stayed true to her wit and sarcastically joked about profiting from the non-existent reboot. Her reaction caught the attention and support of fans and industry colleagues alike who stood with her against the misinformation.
Edebiri’s encounter brought with it demands for the risks surrounding disinformation and how social media platforms handle content moderation. The majority of users criticized the racist abuse against her and demanded closer accountability for the likes of Musk.
Comedian Bill Burr also made a comment about the controversy, harshly criticizing Musk during a NPR interview. “He’s clearly a bad actor here,” Burr said.
“I just can’t believe it was accidental. And he does it during a presidential inauguration!”
Burr wasn’t shy about his assessment of Musk as an “idiot with hair plugs and a laminated face” and questioning why others are intimidated by him. Edebiri accepted the words of Burr with a bullseye emoji, showing agreement.
Controversy also ignited speculations about Johnny Depp’s return to the Pirates franchise. When testifying against Amber Heard during his 2022 defamation trial, Depp made it clear he had no interest whatsoever playing the role of Captain Jack Sparrow ever again, not even for a very substantial amount.
Despite this, Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed in 2024 that a reboot scripted by Dead Men Tell No Tales writer Jeff Nathanson was in the works. While Bruckheimer expressed his personal desire for Depp’s comeback, the fact that the reboot is moving forward suggests the studio is proceeding without the actor.
“It’s a reboot, but he would be in it were it left to me,” Bruckheimer stated. “I love him. He’s a good friend. He’s a great artist and he’s a one-of-a-kind look.”
The Edebiri-Musk-Pirates of the Caribbean controversy is a classic example of the far-reaching effects of disinformation. It calls for tighter content control on social media and the accountability of high-profile users when posting.
