‘Sons of Anarchy’ Creator Kurt Sutter Pokes Fun at Disney With Latest Tweet After Firing

Kurt Sutter is poking fun at Disney following his firing from the Disney-owned FX series Mayans M.C., a decision he said he feels “deeply wronged” by. The Sons of Anarchy creator took to Twitter Thursday night to share an audition alert he received for a Lion King project at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Kissimmee, Florida.

“Thanks for all the love and support. I’ve been vocalizing all day. So ready to nail this audition and start my next gig. Hakuna matata, mothers—ers,” Sutter wrote sardonically.

Many of his followers replied to his tweet with reaction GIFs, including a mic drop and a Lion King related clip.

Sutter was fired from Disney and FX reportedly due to complaints from cast and crew members collected by Disney’s human resources department. Disney owns FX as well as the studio that produces Mayans M.C., 20th Century Fox Television/Fox 21 Television Studios. The news came a few weeks after he announced he would be stepping down from the series at the end of the ongoing Season 2.

In notes from Sutter sent to his inner circle published by Deadline, Sutter seemed to hint that there was more to the story behind his firing, saying he believes Disney culture ultimately led to it. In a previous letter addressed to the cast and crew of the series, he said he was fired for being an “abrasive d—.”

In the most recently leaked note, he wrote that he is “intense and passionate” and that he takes his job “very seriously.”

“That’s what having a vision manifests. And if you f— with that vision, I’m gonna push back,” he wrote, adding that he “prides” himself “on having a supportive and empowering set.”

“Disney letting me go today was apparently based on data collected by HR and Business Affairs from writers, producers, cast and crew. They claim the intel suggests that I created a climate of hostility, favoritism and enabled a set where no one felt safe or appreciated. I know that’s not true,” Sutter wrote. “I’m not saying it was all sunshine and roses, but I’m close with most of those guys and they love going to work. I’m also not sure how, having been on set… maybe three times all season, I was able to singularly create that much damage.”

“What I do own, what I see now in hindsight, is that detaching myself so much this season was a mistake. I understand how it was perceived as me sticking my head in the sand. And that people felt like no one was steering the ship. But that wasn’t a management error on my part, it was a creative decision to empower Elgin and the future of the show,” Sutter added, before going into detail about what happened on the set. “The reason I decided to do it, was because the network forced me to hire a directing EP to run the production end. So I did. He came in with a lot of experience and his enthusiasm gave me confidence he could do the job. So, with Elgin, the new EP in place, and with Jon Pare our great line producer, I stayed focused on story, writing and post.”

“Never did I think the ship was off course until after mid season when I suddenly was bombarded with unfavorable reports about the tension on set. I am not going to mention names, because I don’t want to point fingers. So yes, there were complaints. And ultimately whomever they are about lands on me to fix. That’s when I contacted the network to let them know. They told me they’d look into it. And to sit tight. So I did.

He continued, complaining of “heavy handed” notes and cuts on scripts from Disney’s “scrutiny,” saying he “genuinely feared for the creative future of the storytelling.” He claimed when he “pushed back” against the notes, he was “dealing with personnel who didn’t know me … and my level of… passion.”

“I send this diatribe because I feel deeply wronged. They embarrassed me,” he wrote. “They created a false narrative that could damage my reputation and career. I want them to understand the depth of that mistake.”

Sutter has been working at FX since joining The Shield as a writer in 2002. He created Sons of Anarchy, which ran from 2008 to 2014, and the 2015 series, The Bastard Executioner, for the network.

Mayans M.C. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on FX.