Selma Blair has quit Twitter in defence of James Gunn. Photo / AP
Selma Blair has quit Twitter in defence of James Gunn. Photo / AP
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 paedophilia 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."
Nearly two dozen tweets were captured in screenshots before he deleted his account.
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 humour," 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.
