Beau DeMayo, the creator of “X-Men ’97,” has seen his attorney respond to Disney’s claims about his dismissal from the series, which the company attributed to allegations of misconduct.
Attorney Bryan Freedman from Freedman Taitelman + Cooley criticized Disney’s practices in a statement provided to Variety, accusing the company of maintaining a facade of family-friendliness while secretly embedding restrictive clauses in contracts that inhibit employees from voicing the truth or exercising their constitutional rights.
This statement followed Disney’s announcement about DeMayo’s firing and the decision to remove his credits from the upcoming second season of “X-Men ’97.” DeMayo previously suggested on social media that his ousting was linked to posts he made in June supporting gay pride.
In its response, Disney indicated that DeMayo’s firing stemmed from an investigation that uncovered “egregious” misconduct during his involvement with the series, though specifics on the allegations were not disclosed. A source informed Variety that the misconduct in question was of a sexual nature, which resulted in DeMayo’s dismissal. His subsequent infractions regarding a separation agreement led to the revocation of his credits for the second season.
Freedman highlighted a pattern of behavior by Disney, alleging a systematic approach to suppress dissent and manipulate narratives when faced with challenges to their practices. He expressed confidence in having substantial evidence supporting his claims, as well as clients who are ready to speak out against what he describes as ongoing illegal conduct by the company. Freedman asserted that over the coming months, they would expose what he characterizes as Disney’s bullying tactics.
DeMayo was terminated in March, prior to the premiere of the series on Disney+. He had already completed work on the first two seasons of the animated show, which has been well-received and recently earned an Emmy nomination for best animated program.