In an unexpected shakeup at the Walt Disney Corporation, the company announced on Sunday that they are parting ways with CEO Bob Chapek and replacing him with previous CEO Bob Iger. The news comes on the heels of a $1.47 billion operating loss in the last quarter and Chapek’s own memo from earlier this month, announcing a hiring freeze, layoffs, and other cost-cutting measures.
Many see Disney’s poor performance over 2022 as a negative reaction to Chapek’s decision to embrace left-wing politics earlier this year. In March, pressure from far-left and LGBTQ employees led Chapek and Disney to openly protest Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, derisively referred to as the “don’t say gay bill” by homosexual advocacy groups.
But Chapek and Disney may have picked the wrong enemy to attack when they went after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who promptly moved to dissolve Disney’s Reedy Creek governing district. The district shielded Disney from state taxation by allowing it to create its own district services such as firefighting and on-site policing.
Chapek’s tenure as CEO was a short one, beginning in February of 2020 and ending on Sunday. Besides his war with DeSantis, Chapek was at the helm for many questionable decisions by the company, such as holding LGBT “pride” celebrations and airing commercials in favor of transgender children.
Under Chapek’s leadership, Disney also began its own LGBTQ task force and promised more LGBTQ content directed at children.
Disney’s new “woke” attitude even inspired a boycott of the company from parents who had tired of the supposedly family-friendly company’s embrace of far-left social and political causes.
“Disney used to offer us wonderful content that reinforced good values. When I read about ‘woke Disney,’ my friends and I all felt the same way — clearly the executives at Disney live in some kind of bubble and don’t know everyday moms and dads like us,” Oklahoma mother Kelly Claggett said of the boycott.
The corporation thanked Chapek for his service, particularly for his leadership through the pandemic, but in the end thought a new direction was necessary.
“We thank Bob Chapek for his service to Disney over his long career, including navigating the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic,” said Susan Arnold, Chairman of the Board. “The Board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the Company through this pivotal period.”
Chapek’s embrace of “woke” politics was not Disney’s only problem. Apparently rising tensions among top management at the company along with Chapek’s hyper dedication to the company’s Disney + streaming service over other priorities helped lead to the decision.
Chapek even angered some of the talent, with Scarlett Johansson, who played Black Widow in the company’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, suing the company over the simultaneous release of Black Widow on Disney + and in theaters. Johansson later settled with the company.
“The thing about Hollywood is, you can behave badly, you can be rude, you can make duds, but the thing you cannot do is f**k with people’s money,” an unnamed Disney producer told the Hollywood Reporter last October.
So, it was not entirely “wokeness” that got Chapek replaced at Disney — but it probably didn’t help.
“I am extremely optimistic for the future of this great company and thrilled to be asked by the Board to return as its CEO,” said Iger, who had previously helmed Disney from 2005 until 2020 when Chapek took over. “Disney and its incomparable brands and franchises hold a special place in the hearts of so many people around the globe — most especially in the hearts of our employees, whose dedication to this company and its mission is an inspiration.”
And, as far as “wokeism” is concerned, things at Disney might not be that much better under Iger. Under Iger, many of the LGBTQ initiatives were started, after all. Remember that under Iger, Disney had a 13-year-old boy find that he is attracted to another boy, and the very first LGBTQ event was hosted at the company’s Paris theme park.
