Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, has been in the news a lot lately.
©Disney
Iger recently garnered some attention when he commented on Disney’s “woke agenda“ and again when he confirmed his 2026 exit from the company. On top of this, he has also made headlines for making the decision to pull advertising from X (formerly Twitter). Now, Elon Musk, the owner of X, is firing back.
Recently, Musk endorsed a post with comments that were deemed anti-Semitic, causing a lot of backlash. As a result, Disney, along with Comcast/NBC Universal, Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, Apple, Lionsgate, and other companies pulled advertising from the site.
©Getty Images via The Hollywood Reporter
“I have a lot of respect for Elon and what he has accomplished,” said Iger, regarding his decision. “We know that Elon is larger than life in many respects, and that his name is very much connected to the companies he founded or owns. By him taking the position he took in a public manner, we felt that the association was not necessarily a positive one for us.”
©Apple
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Elon Musk has since commented on the mass exodus of advertisers, specifically addressing Iger. “Don’t advertise. If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f**k yourself,” Musk said. “Go f**k yourself, is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise.”
©Getty Images via The Hollywood Reporter
While Musk has commented that he “should, in retrospect, not have replied to that particular post,” he also stated that he has “no problem being hated.” As for Iger’s future plans for advertising on X, he hasn’t decided. “I haven’t really addressed it since the decision was made,” he said.
©Reuters | Disney CEO Bob Iger
As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news.
Bob Iger Has Made Two Massive Changes at Disney
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
What do you think will happen with Disney advertisements on X? Let us know in the comments below!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Elon is correct. And because Disney thinks it can dictate their idea of freedom of speech, I have cancelled my January 2024 Disney Wish cruise followed by a 5 night WDW resort stay.
They are driving even more of us away with their misguided woke ideas and monitoring tactics
If being “woke” means being against anti-semitism and and for equal rights and protections for all people, then I’m proudly on the woke side. Musk is just showing his usual lack of class and penchance for throwing toddler tantrums with adult language.
Elon and his comments are anti-Semitic period. If Disney taking a position where it chooses not to support megaphone or hate and racism alienates some would-be guests then so be it. You vote with your consumer dollars just as Disney votes with its advertising dollars…isn’t this free speech?
Honest comments now require ” moderation ” ?
Wow Elon, way to really bury yourself. Musk is the complete opposite of someone with class and professionalism. He’s a horrible leader and will eventually destroy any company he’s involved with. He needs to realize that there are consequences for what he says and does. Make him pay the price.
Disney and all the other companies that pulled advertising from X did the right thing. Opposing hate speech isn’t “woke”, it’s something that should be done to confront it or it evrntually becomes acceptable. Those who would condemn Disney for opposing hate speech or marginalizing any group don’t understand what the company strives to represent.
Elon should take over Disney too. He can run another company into the ground.
Terry, I believe a lot of us are glad you cancelled your 2024 plans. Please realize that the term “woke” is not an insult. It means intelligent and educated. People who are woke have a desire to understand information as it relates the humanity and the world.
I find it sad, and hypocritical that the ones bashing Disney and other companies and who are backing Musk, are probably the same people who boycotted Budweiser for their views. Funny how some people want it both ways as long as it is their way.
Elon is a very smart guy about some things, like building rockets and electric cars, but when it comes to running an advertising platform, and that is exactly what Twitter is, he’s seems to be clueless. In order to be successful operating an advertising platform, you need a couple of things.
1. You need to have a sufficient volume of the demographic that the advertiser is looking for.
2. You need to avoid having an association with anything that will damage the image of the brand of your advertisers. Many advertisers want to avoid an association with things like tobacco use, gambling, conspiracy theories, racism, and anti-semitism.
When Elon does things that drive away the desired demographic or invites things that brands want to avoid an association with, he loses advertising. Plain and simple. Why would advertisers spend money on something that damages their brand?
Why can’t Iger just stay out of politics. Elon Musk was commenting about the ADL which is an entirely different issue.
Is he really trying to destroy the brand?
I’m cancelling my Disney+ subscription, absolutely nothing to do with Musk and his issues with Iger but more because it has increased almost 40% since last year so it is now just not worth the expense for the content they are distributing.
Elon is in his own world if he thinks he is being blackmailed. He can do and say stupid things and that’s his right but that’s not blackmail if other people do not agree with his stupidity, that’s just reality and many companies more than Disney are not going to support a person and company if they don’t agree with their opinions. Just like if you don’t agree with Bob Iger you have every right not to consume Disney entertainment.
Hi George. We moderate every single comment that comes through. When comments are not approved it is for a number of reasons including, but not limited to insensitivity, inaccuracy, language, rumors, false information, etc. All comments must be linguistically appropriate for a wide audience, and generally not inflammatory or discriminatory in any way. Thanks!