Ayo Edebiri received death threats after Elon Musk shared fake casting news

Ayo Edebiri is opening up about how one post from Elon Musk led to an inbox full of death threats.

On Tuesday, the 29-year-old actress slammed the X and Tesla CEO with a screenshot of a post from 2024. In it, Musk shared a false report about Edebiri replacing Johnny Depp in a Pirates of the Caribbean reboot with his less than pleased reaction: “Disney sucks,” Musk captioned the post.

“Just remembering when I got some of the most insane death threats and racial slurs of my life (idk if it’s the #1 moment, but for sure top 3) for a fake reboot of a movie I had never even heard of because of this man,” Edebiri wrote on her Instagram story alongside Musk’s original post.

She went on to reference Musk’s use of a hand gesture that some have identified as a Nazi salute, writing, “LMAO. So not only is he double [Sieg Heil]-ing fascist, he’s an idiot.”

In a previous Instagram story post, Edebiri shouted out fellow Bostonian Bill Burr for roasting Musk during his Monday visit to NPR’s Fresh Air. The comedian didn’t mince words, saying that Musk is “evidently a Nazi,” adding, “I just refuse to believe it was an accidental two-time Sieg Heil. And he does it at a presidential inauguration!”

He also referred to Musk as an “idiot” with “dyed hair plugs and a laminated face” who “makes a bad car and has an obsolete social media platform.” He then turned his attention to liberals who criticize Musk, asking, “Why are we so afraid of this guy who can’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag?”

Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.

On a lighter note, Edebiri shared a screenshot of her DMs with New Girl writer Camilla Blackett, who joked that the Opus actress would make a great Captain Jack Sparrow: “Okay but what if I said you’d eat this up a lil bit?!”

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Depp, who originated the role of the scoundrel pirate, played the character across five films, ending with 2017’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. But the actor’s future in the franchise has been uncertain, following his tumultuous legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of domestic violence. After he sued his ex for defamation over an op-ed she wrote about being an abuse survivor, a Virginia court ruled in 2022 that both actors defamed each other but mostly sided with Depp. The actor has since said he doesn’t need Hollywood to continue his career.

Blackett told Edebiri, “It’s not the worst fan casting! I see the vision kinda! You’re licherally [sic] Caribbean!”

Edebiri took the joke further in her caption for the post, writing, “@WaltDisneyFrozenHead wait no DEI, but I’ve changed my mind maybe we could make some money idk lmk.”

The future of the blockbuster franchise is yet to be determined, though franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer has signaled that a new movie is on the horizon. Just last year, he confirmed to EW that a sequel from writer Jeff Nathanson is in the works.

“I think he’s cracked it,” he shared. “He’s got an amazing third act. We just gotta clean up the first and second and then we’ll get there. But he wrote a great, great third act.”

Bruckheimer also voiced support for Depp’s return to the franchise, adding, “It’s a reboot, but if it was up to me, he would be in it. I love him. He’s a good friend.”