Beau DeMayo, the creator of “X-Men ’97,” is facing backlash after Disney announced that he was terminated from the series due to allegations of misconduct. DeMayo’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, provided a response, criticizing Disney’s practices.
Freedman claimed that Disney operates with a dual facade, appearing family-friendly while allegedly embedding controversial clauses in contracts designed to silence employees and infringe upon their constitutional rights. His remarks followed Disney’s statement about the termination, which cited an investigation revealing “egregious” misconduct by DeMayo, although specifics were not disclosed. A source disclosed to Variety that sexual misconduct was implicated as the reason for DeMayo’s firing and that violations of his separation agreement led to the removal of his credits for the second season.
Freedman indicated that the issue is part of a broader pattern of behavior at Disney, asserting that when confronted, the company resorts to gaslighting and deflecting blame. He emphasized that he possesses substantial evidence corroborating these claims and noted that Disney has a history of settling numerous cases to suppress dissent.
DeMayo was dismissed in March, prior to the debut of the series on Disney+, after he had completed work on its first two seasons. “X-Men ’97” has received positive reviews and has been nominated for an Emmy Award for best animated program.