While X-Men ’97 premiered to critical acclaim back in March and has since added an Emmy nomination to its list of numerous accolades, there was some unexpected news that emerged beforehand. Season 1 showrunner Beau DeMayo was fired ahead of the Marvel TV show premiering to Disney+ subscription holders. While DeMayo opened up a little bit in August about the circumstances behind his dismissal, he’s now gone into further detail on this topic, saying the he has “the receipts and eyewitnesses.” Additionally, this spat between him and Disney has resulted in legal action being taken by the former against the latter.
What Beau DeMayo Is Saying About His X-Men ’97 Dismissal
In a nearly-30-minute video posted on his OnlyFans page (via Deadline), Beau DeMayo criticized Marvel for allegedly having a “toxic environment” and “near criminal working conditions” that “turns individuals against one another, stokes paranoia to ensure compliance.” The writer stated that the “rumors” about him that have been shared about him online are “lies” that function as a “smear campaign designed to discredit” his credibility. DeMayo ultimately summed up his side of the story by alleging that Disney let him go from X-Men ’97 was for “being gay, Black and open about it at Marvel Studios.”
To provide a refresher, after DeMayo claimed last month that he got in trouble with Disney when he posted some X-Men-themed LGBTQ+ fan art, and he further claimed that his credits for the work he did on X-Men ’97 Season 2 had been removed. Afterwards, it was said in an official statement from Disney that DeMayo was “terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation.” It was later reported that during his time on X-Men ’97, he engaged in sexual misconduct with other staff members.
Beau DeMayo also said the following during his OnlyFans video:
In the end, the offenses Marvel and others have leaked are designed to distract you from what really offended them. Someone like me dared to speak truth to people like them. They wanted me to be the Black stamp of approval on this project, I declined. They wanted to erase aspects of my personality that clashed or proved inconvenient with the misguided narratives they wanted to establish. I declined. They tried to intimidate me with both explicit and implied threats. I was not intimidated. Everything they have done since then has been designed not just to silence me and smear me, but to crush me and to remind me to know my role.
As mentioned earlier, Beau DeMayo also stated he has evidence and people who can back up his claims, although with the latter, he accused Disney of “coercing them to lie” on top of the company “attacking” him with “lies and misinformation.”
Beau DeMayo Is Taking Disney To Court
On top of all this, Beau DeMayo’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has filed for an expedited jury seeking complaint over having an “illegal non-disparagement provision” removed from his client’s exit package documents. Per the filing, DeMayo “bore witness to and endured rampant discriminatory and harassing conduct” during his time at Disney, and that because the writer possessed “copious knowledge regarding Marvel’s illicit and unsafe employment practices,” the company “sought to silence” him. That’s where this non-disparagement provision comes in, which the complaint says was “designed to muzzle an openly gay Black man and restrict his statutory rights.” As of this writing, Disney has not publicly responded to this legal development.
Clearly the drama between Beau DeMayo and Disney won’t be dying down anytime soon, so keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend for more updates on what’s happening on this front. As for X-Men ’97 Season 2, it doesn’t have a release slot yet on the upcoming Marvel TV shows schedule, but fans can take comfort knowing the show has also scored a third season.