Disney’s CEO Bob Iger spoke publicly to employees for the first time since being reinstated. Iger specifically discussed the recent cultural and political controversies that the company has been involved with in the last few years.
Iger ran Disney for 15 years before being succeeded by Bob Chapek in 2020. Chapek was fired from the board of the Walt Disney Company in November, when Iger was reinstated.
During a town hall meeting with the returning Disney CEO, Iger told employees that he would like to “quiet down” their political agenda while simultaneously saying the company is not at all political.
“I think there is a misperception what ‘politics’ is. I think that some of the subjects that have proven to be controversial, as it relates to Disney, has been branded ‘political,’ but I don’t necessarily believe they are. I don’t think when you are telling stories and attempting to be a good citizen of the world that that’s political. That’s just not how I view it.
Now have I liked the company being embroiled in controversy? Of course not, it can be distracting, and it can have a negative impact on the company. And to the extent that I can quiet things down, I’m going to do that. But I think it’s important to put in perspective what some of things are and not simply branded them as ‘political.’”
Tony Katz says audiences aren’t upset with more diversity in Disney’s storytelling, but rather the way they push their own narratives into films for attention.
“The issue is not gay characters…the issue is you have an agenda as opposed to making films. Your agenda doesn’t fit with a fair amount of your audience- a large amount of your audience. That’s out of touch. I don’t know how Disney expects a long future when they are out of touch.”
Later in the town hall, Iger was asked about Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, which the woke have nicknamed the “don’t say gay” law. The CEO was a bit more cautious with this answer stating there is a need for the company to “respect” and “listen” to their audience.
“When you tell stories, there’s a delicate balance. You’re talking to an audience, but it’s also important to listen to an audience. It’s important to have respect for the people you are serving, that you are trying to reach and not have disdain from.”
He also mentioned how sorry he was to see Chapek drag Disney into a “battle” with Gov. DeSantis.
Katz believes that Disney will most likely slow down their outward political narrative in order to prevent further financial damage. Disney’s latest film “Strange World” is already projected to lose $100 million at the box offices.
