Legal Statement. Ron DeSantis. And if that doesnt happen, to get these bills repealed, she added. Then, the CEO found himself in a public spat with Floridas governor, who recognized an opportunity to score cheap political points off Disney. Chapek didnt speak to the Carano incident directly but said Disney stands for values that are universal: respect, decency, integrity and inclusion and we seek to have the content that we make reflective of the rich diversity of the world we live in. Madison addressed The Walt Disney Companys latest pledge during the LGBTQ advocacy groups annual Los Angeles dinner, held Saturday night at the JW Marriott LA Live Hotel. The debut of "Disney Enchantment" during "The World's Most Magical Celebration" Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary at Magic Kingdom on Sept. 30, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. 2023 CNBC LLC. Iger credited his ability to get founders to sell him assets to his intense focus on building personal relationships. "Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Occupy Democrats is a political organization and information website that provides a new counterbalance to the Republican Tea Party. We need Disneys partnership in getting the bills heading to [Gov. "Over time, I started listening less and maybe with a little less tolerance of other people's opinions, maybe because of getting a little bit more overconfident in my own, which is sometimes what happens when you get built up," Iger told CNBC's David Faber in an exclusive interview. 11. Fridays move came after Chapek announced in a Disney shareholder meeting Wednesday that the company would pledge $5 million to LGBTQ organizations focused on legal protections for the community a donation HRC rejected the same day. But, thus far, theyve had no impact on the bottom line, as Disney just claimed its second-best park performance ever for a fiscal quarter. In his book, the Florida governor says the Disney sagas lesson is that in an environment of woke capital where large companies employ their influence to advance left-wing political agendas, old-guard corporate Republicanism is not up to the task at hand.. Theyve invested millions of dollars in donations to political parties and more over the last 25 years, theyve given in-kind donations (like tickets to the parks and hotel Change isn't necessarily bad.". Chapek has a career as an American media executive. Market data provided by Factset. What about the Disney black list? he asked. The exec is continuing to try to put the company on more stable footing after its response to Floridas Dont Say Gay bill met with fierce backlash internally and in influential pockets of the talent community. In that scenario, someone less experienced with vetting is in charge. He did not want Disney to get involved, but he was getting a lot of pressure to weigh in against the bill, DeSantis writes. As the controversy over the Parental Rights in Education bill was coming to a head, Chapek called me. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. Ron DeSantis over the pressure he was facing to weigh in against Floridas Parental Rights Education bill, known as the Dont Say Gay bill, according to DeSantis new memoir. And Laurene and Steve and [Iger's wife] Willow [Bay] and I sat down at a dinner, and he toasted to the deal we had done some years earlier, convinced that it was the right thing to do for Disney and for Pixar. The bias is blatant. Ron] Desantis desk vetoed. It would allow parents to sue school districts for what it perceives to be violations of this law. In November 2022, longtime Disney CEO Bob Iger announced he was replacing Chapek after two years away from the company. Asked if the Florida GOP wanted to comment about Disneys decision to pull contributions, Helen Aguirre Ferre, executive director of the party, wrote in an email: There is no world in which Gov. And, we are committed to creating a more inclusive company and world, Chapek wrote in a memo to staff in March 2022. DeSantis signed the legislation into law this week that bars instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Questionable decision-making and actions by Disney post-covid may be why a petition to fire Bob Chapek has been brought to fruition. Florida governor Ron DeSantis is calling out former Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek. With Jobs, Iger said he "was never disappointed" with Disney's integration of Pixar. He will officially give up his chairman role at the end of the year. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Disney has *deep breath* eliminated Magical Express, exchanged free FastPasses for paid Lightning Lane experiences, required Park Passes, temporarily removed the dining plan and most annual passes, and raised many food/drink prices. Disney CEO Bob Chapek is pausing all of the companys political donations in Florida following the passage of the Dont Say Gay bill, a major escalation in his feud This is not just about Bob Chapek and Disney, she told the audience. Still, DeSantis has continued to claim that Chapeks opposition is only because he hadnt bothered to read the bill, according to a DeSantis campaign email sent Thursday. Iger will assume the role of executive chairman. All of the companys three major content suppliers Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm have been publicly critical of the companys handling of the situation. He stepped down last year as CEO, succeeded by Bob Chapek, but has stayed on as chairman through the coronavirus pandemic. But Chapek stayed positive and dismissed the other criticism, saying ABC News has a stellar track record of being objective and reporting the news and will continue to do so in the future., ABC NEW SUSPENDS MATT GUTMAN FOR FALSELY REPORTING ALL OF KOBE BRYANT'S CHILDREN WERE ON DOOMED HELICOPTER, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss," Danhof told Fox News following the meeting, referencing a famous The Who lyric. Not coincidentally, Chapeks naivet has already caused Disney to take shots from the left AND right on two different matters. By Laurn Alexa | Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 12:02pm Source: Disney chief executive Bob Chapek speaks during a ceremony on Sept. 11, 2015, at Hong Kong Disneyland. Its only temporary and has nothing to do with the content of the comments. REUTERS. Chapek has not commented on the DeSantis report. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, 2024 frontrunner: Trump wins CPAC straw poll in a landslide, Ron DeSantis skips CPAC as organization faces scandals, Florida bill would require bloggers writing about DeSantis to share pay info, DeSantis rips other GOPers for acting like potted plants in face of woke ideology fight: report, Chapek, who had stayed silent on the bill, re-evaluate Disneys special tax district, called Reedy Creek, signing a law to strip Disney World of its Reedy Creek control on Monday. Apparently, a Texas high school doesnt know what year it is and still performs a routine featuring Indianettes.. 2016 www.independentsentinel.com. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. (ABC/ RANDY SAGER). New York CNN . In lieu of the management retreat, the plan is for the leadership of the media company to go on a listening tour with employees, according to a person familiar with the strategy. I havent seen anything like this before.. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. As many of its LGBTQ+ employees get set for a full-day walkout Tuesday, Disney has decided to postpone a management retreat set for next week as it continues efforts to calm internal waters. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter, Interim president Joni Madison confirmed she and Bob Chapek "had a very productive conversation about the need for Disney to put real muscle into stopping what's happening to their employees and to their fans.". Pixar deal completed to show Disney employees it was a new day, says former CEO Bob Iger, Disney's Bob Iger: Leaving during Covid was unfortunate timing, Charley Gallay | Getty Images; Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images, App-based entertainment is replacing linear channels like traditional media, says fmr. (Getty Images. Colleagues perceive former CEO Bob Iger as a highly political person with an acute mind for such situations. I was glad to speak to Bob yesterday afternoon, and we had a very productive conversation about the need for Disney to put real muscle into stopping whats happening to their employees and to their fans.. watch now. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. The company did this after adding a Fifth Key last year, Inclusion. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In addition to what all Americans witness on a daily basis, Project Veritas has recently exposed numerous examples of ABC journalists admitting that the network bosses repeatedly spike positive stories on President Trump, Danhof said. The bills Republican sponsors have also been more openly vocal about LGBTQ students, with Baxley complaining about everybody now all about coming out when youre in school.. 2023 CNBC LLC. Ron DeSantis said that ex-Disney CEO Bob Chapek complained to him about the pressure he was under from the left [WOKEs] to join in on the Governors new education bill restricting gender identity lessons, PK-3. Iger and the Disney board's decision to give Chapek the job surprised Wall Street and Disney executives, especially after Iger had repeatedly pushed off his retirement to stay as Disney's CEO. Ron DeSantis. Park officials reeeeeaaally dont want headlines with racist chant in them. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. When you face challenges and screw up, thats totally understandable. We cant say if he told DeSantis, but why wouldnt he tell him? The company has also given more than $100,000 to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC since 2019. Bob Chapek was tapped on Tuesday to succeedlong-time Disney CEO Bob Iger. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. Chapek began his Disney career in 1993 as the marketing director for the company's Buena Vista Home Entertainment division, which at that time was focused on VHS tapes. Disney had already been under fire from the bills critics over its contributions to the bills GOP sponsors, including $11,000 over the last 12 years to GOP state Sen. Dennis Baxley of Ocala. Employees were walking out in protest and ranting to the media. It wasn't the reason I left, but it was a contributing factor.". There is no question that Chapek was under tremendous pressure. It sounds about right. I feel that the truth suffers, the voters are poorly informed, and people also have the opportunity to tune into whatever they want to hear, Wright said in the video, which also featured an ABCNews producer. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages. Florida Gov. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Interested in booking a Disney Vacation? Disney CEO Chapek Bob Chapek Tuesday said he doesnt really see Disney as characterizing itself as left-leaning or right-leaning responding to a shareholder who accused Hollywood and the company of a double standard in firing Gina Carano from The Mandalorian because shes a conservative. If Disney had merely maintained the status quo, a multi-coastal business operation, none of these headlines would dominate the media. All Rights Reserved. ), The HRC president went on to say that companies need to deliver more than inclusive employment policies and a clever Pride campaign and that corporate values should be guiding principles in how a company shows up for the marginalized, instead of being marketing materials., I promise you, states lucrative tax laws wont matter much to your employees and consumers who are being criminalized for supporting their kids and being pushed back in the closet by the legal system, she said. Ron DeSantis over the pressure he was facing to weigh in against Floridas Parental Thats what has happened, though. "That was an early sign that it was time. ", Nathanson said the selection of Chapek was not a surprise and a "win-win for the company.". Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com But Im an ally you can count on, and I will be an outspoken champion for the protections, visibility and opportunity you deserve.. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Were all familiar with the maxim that the sum is greater than the parts. In that role, he reorganized the business to cut costs and oversaw a number of popular toy crazes from franchises like "Frozen.". Here are CEO Bob Chapeks worst five mistakes thus far. During the town hall, Chapek repeated his expression of regret about the companys decision not to take a public stance against the bill, given the large number of its employees it affected. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. We want to hear from you! The email said a member of his staff would hand-deliver a copy of the bill to Disneys Orlando headquarters and asked for gas money to get him there. When Chapek took the job as head of Disney, critics lamented his lack of experience with the Hollywood studio system. Iger told Disney staffers in November that he didnt like that the Mouse House was embroiled in controversy and that he would work to quiet things down.. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Disney allowed the drill team to perform based on an audition tape it had sent. During the evening, Charlee Corra also took the stage and announced that he along with parents Sheri and Roy P. Disney, the great-nephew of Walt Disney, would match $250,000 in donations to HRC. Chapek has been overseeing the company's parks, experiences and products division since those divisions were combined in 2018. ", FLORIDA REPUBLICANS CONDEMN 'WOKE' DISNEY, URGE MORE BOYCOTTS BY CONSERVATIVES AGAINST THE 'ACTIVIST MACHINE'. Chapek absolutely should have spoken with her first. Michael Arnold. Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek privately complained to Florida Gov. Heinz, and in advertising at J. Walter Thompson. Corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds, he wrote, and are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide. So what Disney says means nothing? Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. It should never have reached that point, though. The Courage to be Free: Floridas Blueprint for American Revival, Fidelity Finds 401Ks Lost 25% of Their Value in 2022, Biden Says He May Be a White Boy, But Hes Not Stupid, One State Will Make It illegal for Vaccinated Donors to Give Blood, Rumors Are That John Fetterman Is Essentially Brain Dead, Dr. Malone on the Possible US Role in the Development of Coronavirus, They Set Us Up! Bombshell J6 Footage Shows Metro Police Discussion, Prophylaxis Nasal Spray Might Put an End to Vaccines. Legal Statement. Robert Chapek. "He was very, very concerned about Lucasfilm - in many respects his baby, his legacy and there was a trust there too that I think we demonstrated, that we could be trusted," Iger said about Lucas. The Democrat Party was visibly angry, and the media spread lies about the bill being a Dont Say Gay bill. Management has altered some aspects of the Disney vacation experience as a tactic to overcome the unprecedented challenges of March 2020 through today.