Guardians Star Leaves Twitter Following James Gunn Scandal

Acclaimed director James Gunn was recently fired from the Guardians of the Galaxy project because of some old tweets that resurfaced where he discussed some very explicit topics.

In recent days, it has seemed like just about everyone has an opinion about it one way or the other, and Hollywood stars are no exception. Many people who have worked with Gunn, including Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Selma Blair (Hellboy) have come out in defense of him, but one of the most notable reactions has been Michael Rooker's departure from Twitter.

Rooker, who played Yondu in the Guardians franchise, posted a message before deleting his Twitter account which said in part, "Twitter sucks and I want nothing to do with it." Rooker has worked with Gunn on several projects throughout the years and seems to be blaming Twitter for the scandal. [Update: The broader Guardians cast has come out in support of Gunn.]

Gunn's firing was a controversial decision on Disney's part because even though the tweets were graphic and many would say, over the line, they were posted years ago, before Guardians of the Galaxy was even a thing, and Gunn hasn't posted anything so outlandish since. Gunn apologized for the tweets, saying that he's grown as a person since then, but the fact remains that he regularly referenced topics like pedophilia and rape in his tweets.

It's pretty clear what side Michael Rooker has taken in this issue, and it looks like Instagram is the best place to find the star in the social media realm from now on.

James Gunn isn't alone, though. Dan Harmon of Rick And Morty and Community is the most recent Hollywood boss to garner controversy from old content. It seems like a pattern is developing here.