When Bob Iger replaced Bob Chapek as CEO of The Walt Disney Company last week, Fox Business Network host Charles Payne tweeted that “Disney went woke, shareholders got broke and now the CEO is out. Bob Iger is coming back to the Mouse House and maybe family fun will be the only priority.”
©Reuters || Bob Iger is back in charge at Disney.
The National Review proclaimed “Disney Fires CEO After Woke War with DeSantis,” and the New York Post said “Bob Iger is back as CEO to walk Disney back from the woke cliff.”
It was, to some media outlets, as if the negative reaction to Disney’s latest earnings report — which showed mounting losses in Disney’s streaming business and missed the mark on many fronts — had nothing to do with the change at the top. Instead, they reported, it seemed to have quite a bit to do with Chapek’s feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ©Deadline
While members of Disney’s board have made it clear that the earnings report released on Nov. 8 was he final straw for Chapek, and politics has not been mentioned as a reason for his firing, it is worth looking into whether the relationship between Disney and Florida’s Governor — who is widely considered a front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination — will improve now that Disney CEO Bob Iger is back at the helm.
Chapek famously tried to not take a stand when a controversial bill supported by DeSantis was winding its way through the Florida Legislature. The bill — now a Florida State Statute — called the Parental Rights in Education Law prohibits teaching about gender and sexual orientation in kindergarten through 3rd grade. It was dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its opponents, and companies including Target, Starbucks, Mattel, and Hyatt Hotels vocally opposed the bill’s passage.
But after outcry from employees and others, The Walt Disney Company and Chapek reversed course and issued a statement condemning the bill in March 2022. After DeSantis signed the bill into law, Disney strengthened its opposition, issuing a statement that concluded with: ““We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.”
©ABC || DeSantis signs the Parental Rights in Education Act into law.
There was public outcry on both sides of this controversy — with many voices shouting that Disney was too “woke,” while others applauded the stand Disney took in opposing the bill.
And then, DeSantis kicked it up a notch. He pushed a bill through the Florida Legislature that will dissolve Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District next year. The district — which was established during the initial development of Disney World — has basically let Disney function as its own county government, giving it huge amounts of control over the imposition of taxes, the adoption of ordinances, handling pest control, contracting for professional services, and more.
©Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
Unless something changes, the change in Disney’s status when the Reedy Creek Improvement District is dissolved will lead to millions in expenses for the company, as its permitting and other functions fall back under the purview of Orange and Osceola counties.
So, with Bob Iger back in charge, will the relationship improve between the State of Florida and Disney? Right now, it’s hard to say. But there’s one important detail that those lauding his concern as a way for Disney to become more conservative are missing: Iger also opposed the Parental Rights in Education Act.
I'm with the President on this! If passed, this bill will put vulnerable, young LGBTQ people in jeopardy. https://t.co/fJZBzre4yM
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) February 25, 2022
In fact, Iger tweeted about his opposition to the bill during the time when Chapek said the company was not going to take a position on it. In an interview aired in March 2022 on CNN, Iger was reminded that he weighed in on issues such climate change and immigration during his first go-round as Disney CEO.
“I had to contend with this a lot, and the filter that I used to determine whether we should or should not weigh in considered a few factors,” Iger said when asked about taking a stance on national issues. “What would its impact have on our employees, on our shareholders and our customers?
“And if any one of those three constituencies had a deep interest in or would be affected by whatever was the matter at hand, then it was something I thought we should consider weighing in on.”
Bob Iger presenting a model of Shanghai Disneyland
So, while some people may have forgotten about Iger’s stand on the controversial Florida law, it’s safe to assume that DeSantis hasn’t forgotten it. Still, Iger is an experienced CEO, who led Disney through controversies such as this one for 15 years. He is known for diplomacy, and perhaps he will be able to guide the company back to a better relationship with Florida’s Governor and the majority of Florida Lawmakers who backed the Reedy Creek dissolution.
Variety reported last week that an unnamed “Tallahassee insider” said that Chapek’s ouster and Iger’s return “probably helps” Disney’s political position in Florida, but that still remains to be seen.
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Despite the same stance, Iger’s ability to diplomatically navigate difficult waters makes Chapek look like an amateur. I’m convinced the Reedy Creek retaliation would not have occurred if Iger was CEO. There’s a long list of things that Chapek turned into a mess.
Disagreeing with a stupid law does not make you “woke.” It’s expressing an opinion. A Governor and Legislature using revenge legislation to punish someone’s expressed opinion is an abuse of power and tells a lot about the character of the abusers.
Just a reminder…Disney made this statement, “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts”. This was after Disney gave campaign donations to a sponsor of the bill. The sponsor returned the donation after that statement. While Disney did try to affect this bill while it went through legislature, Chapek didn’t follow through or make a statement until the loud minority made a stink about it. This bill (now law) had nothing to do with Disney as a business. The individuals who work for Disney are more than welcome to make their voice heard. The issue is Disney as a corporation took a stand against a law that protects the rights of parents within the education system…Parents who make up the vast majority of Disney’s customers.
Regarding Reedy Creek, it was originally approved under the assumption that EPCOT would be residential, not commercial. The legitimacy of RC has been challenged over the years, so putting Disney on the same playing field as Universal and Seaworld may be what’s best to keep a California-based company out of Florida legislation that is majorly supported by parents and other citizens of Florida.
You left out the part where Chapek said Disney would fight to overturn the law. That was unwise. The citizens of Florida elected Ron Desantis. They would be the ones to decide about overturning such a law not a corporation.
The Florida governor’s plan to dissolve Disney’s Reedy Creek district is government retaliation for protected speech. If Disney wanted to press the issue, which politically they might not, they’d probably win. As the government, you cannot just go after someone because of speech you don’t like.
As for whether Reedy Creek is a good idea, that’s open to separate debate that should not have been tied to complaints of “wokeness.” That said, Disney taxes itself at higher rates and spends more on maintaining the land of WDW than Florida taxpayers would spend. Should Florida taxpayers take on the burden of these costs and add debt? Could the government do as good a job as Disney? The governor’s party is often in favor of privatization achieving better results than government spending. While I don’t think that’s always true, it seems this is one case where Disney has done a good job.
Not every fight demands a winner and a loser. Disney blinked by replacing the combative Chapek. DeSantis doesn’t have to declare victory. He can choose to just stop fighting. The continuing conflict benefits neither. The liberal media will continue to stir the pot, and the queers will be upset with both DeSantis and Disney, giving them a common adversary.
I totally agree with Johanna!
The arrogance of DeSantis is staggering. He and Florida Republicans trampled on free speech, and will continue to do so.