Latest in Bob Chapek

Unlike the upfronts themselves, Jimmy Kimmel was not back onstage live in NYC today for the first time since 2019. Having tested positive for Covid again, the late-night host had to change plans and appear virtually to take a flamethrower to some of Disney's executives, streaming dreams and offerings old and new. ABC U…

Disney CEO Bob Chapek opened Disney’s upfront in New York by telling a crowd of several hundred advertisers that the company is “the most powerful force in the industry” and “the most enduring and beloved name in entertainment.” After a bumpy start to 2022, at least in terms of public perception, Disney has delivered…

For a brand that touts its genius at "storytelling," the Magic Kingdom faces ever-growing problems in telling its own story. Symbolically, Disney has just broken ground on what it portrays as a "storyliving community" of 1,700 new “storytelling homes” in the desert town of Rancho Mirage, CA. "We are story tellers at…

With Marvel's global juggernaut Doctor Strange missing in action in China, Disney CEO Bob Chapek called the situation there "very fluid and very complicated, both from a business standpoint and from a political standpoint.” But he noted that Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness had just crossed the $500…

While the idea of ESPN going “over the top” as a stand-alone streaming offering has been bruited about for years, Disney CEO Bob Chapek enthused about the scenario Wednesday during the company’s quarterly earnings call, describing it as an inevitability. “It will be the ultimate fan offering,” he said during the call…

Disney CEO Bob Chapek has made some very public mistakes of late, including his handling of the company’s response to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. This weekend, Chapek returned to his alma mater, Indiana University, to receive an honorary doctorate and deliver a commencement speech. In it, he gave a…

After less than four months, there is another changing of the communications guard at the Walt Disney Company. Battered by the ongoing battle with Florida Gov. and 2024 POTUS hopeful Ron DeSantis as well as internal dissent, Geoff Morrell is out as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at the House of Mouse. CEO Bob Chapek…

Marvel Studios’ Victoria Alonso said she had a 45-minute sitdown with Disney boss Bob Chapek recently regarding the anti-LGBTQ legislation in Florida, Texas, and Arizona. She revealed the details of their chat while accepting the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film for Eternals Saturday night in Los Angeles. “If…

Bob Chapek, the Disney CEO who is under siege, hopefully does not watch much TV. If he does, he'll see a succession of fellow CEOs who seem prone to self-destruction — Adam Neumann of WeWork, Travis Kalanick of Uber, Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, etc. — portrayed on buzzy TV series. Viewing these shows back to back…

Florida State GOP Representative Spencer Roach said legislators have met twice to discuss repealing a statute that impacts how Disney can invest in its theme parks there. The move is retaliatory after the company and CEO Bob Chapek came out strongly against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill just signed into law by…

One of Chris Wallace’s first guests on his new CNN+ series is former Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger, who makes the case for why corporate leaders should wade into major issues like climate change, immigration and, most recently, Florida’s so-called ‘don’t say gay’ bill. “A lot of these issues are not necessarily…

UPDATED with latest: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis today continued inveighing against his state’s largest employer and its stance on HB 1557, also known as the “Don't Say Gay” bill. The Walt Disney Company said Monday through a spokesperson that the bill “should never have passed and should never have been signed into…