Disney recently replaced Chapek with Bob Iger, who was CEO of the company from 2005 to 2020. City Journal contributing editor Christopher Rufo obtained footage of Iger’s first town hall meeting with Disney employees in which Iger fielded several questions related to the company’s recent controversies.
To the question, “Will Disney stay out of making political statements?” Iger said, “I think there’s a misperception here about what politics is, and I think that some of the subjects that have proven to be ‘controversial’ as it relates to Disney have been branded ‘political,’ and I don’t necessarily believe they are.”
It is not political to try to “[tell] stories and [attempt] to be a good citizen of the world,” said Iger, who added that he does not “like the company being embroiled in controversy” and will try to “quiet things down” as much as possible. In response to questions about HB 1557, Iger said, “I was sorry to see us dragged into that battle.”
“Our LGBTQ employees are very important to us, and we care deeply about them. That is a given,” Iger said, adding that Disney has had an enormous impact on the world in part because “one of the core values of our storytelling is inclusion and acceptance and tolerance. And we can’t lose that.”
Iger also noted the importance of listening to Disney’s audience. Decision-making is a “delicate balance,” he said. Disney cannot make everyone happy, and it cannot “lessen our core values” by trying to please everyone. “It’s complicated,” said Iger.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis responded to Iger’s comments in an interview with Tucker Carlson. The governor took issue with Iger’s phrasing that Disney was “dragged into” the battle over HB 1557, noting that Disney had actually threatened to repeal the bill.
Rufo has called Iger’s comments a “retreat” and The Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon draws a similar conclusion. Said Dillon, “It’s a victory, no question. But it’s not as big as many will celebrate it to be. Disney pushed too hard too fast. They’ll push a little softer and slower now, but they’ll eventually arrive at the same, depraved destination. It will just take a bit longer.”
Others, however, are focusing on Iger’s support for the LGBTQ community. What his remarks mean in practice remains to be seen.
