I think Disney is re-evaluating as they could easily see everything collapse when others start calling out Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, Danny DeVito etc ... Based on what they booted Gunn for, Disney could easily look hypocritical for who they continue to choose to work with. I think they're going to pivot on this issue before it completely tanks them.
In my opinion Gunn was just bait for a bigger issue and Disney fell for it ... and now they're potentially stuck in a major trap. Cartoon Network/Adult Swim seems to have handled things much better when people went after Dan Harmon's (Rick & Morty / Community) past.
I think you've nailed it exactly. This was absolutely a test run, and I really hope Disney does reevaluate their actions before the inevitable domino effect goes down.
Could be! Are there really that many people in Hollywood joking about pedophilia, though?
I don't know how many times I can say that the early aughts were basically everyone trying to tell "The Aristocrats." (Actually, to really answer your first question, I guess just look up the joke and its history as 'secret handshake' for comedians for decades. The joke itself is pretty messed up.) The early aughts especially, when Family Guy and South Park were super-popular, were a time when the most common style of humor was shock "humor." I'm really glad we've grown past it, but it was a thing for a while, and if Disney wanted to cut out anyone who ever made a blue joke from their line-up...they'd run pretty dry.
Seems like a family entertainment company might reserve some extra sensitivity for that when they think about brand... but perhaps not!
As far as sensitivity goes, there's something to be said for the sensitivity that comes from growing and maturing and being willing to criticize your past self and your past callousness, which is something Gunn and Oswalt both do (probably Silvermann too, given some of her recent work, but I never really followed her).
But if you're talking about brand and family entertainment, it's worth remembering that Disney made a big deal out of having Robin Williams as the Genie, and his act was
very blue, and being stream-of-conscious, often went to some dark places unexpectedly. Or shoot, remember Full House and what a big deal that was? Starring
Bob Saget of all people as the milquetoast, nice-guy father?
I'm fine with that "extra sensitivity" being reserved for not hiring or keeping on people who have actively hurt or harassed others (like them replacing Jeffery Tambor on Star), rather than firing folks for public comments and jokes they made that Disney was aware of before they hired them.