Bob Iger Comes to Rescue Disney from …. Bob Iger

Yesterday the Los Angeles Times published a piece that tried to explain the depoliticization shift by Disney away from pro-LGBTQ/-transgenderism and other DEI messaging in its children’s programming and theatrical releases. From the article:

Bob Iger wants out of the culture wars.

 

Walt Disney Co. and its chief executive have made a sharp pivot since doubling down on diversity and inclusion efforts in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis four and a half years ago. At the time, Disney’s top executives, including then-Chairman Iger, vowed in a message to employees: “We intend to keep the conversation going … for as long as it takes to bring about real change.”

 

The Magic Kingdom dropped its pomp greeting to fans for its nightly fireworks display. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” became a gender-neutral salutation to “dreamers of all ages.” Pixar’s animated movie, “Lightyear,” included a brief kiss between two women characters; and Disney’s animated film, “Strange World,” featured the company’s first biracial queer teen hero.

 

But in the past week, Disney acknowledged that a transgender athlete storyline had been removed from an upcoming Pixar animated series, “Win or Lose,” about a middle-school softball team. In a statement, Disney said it recognized “many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”

As the Times suggests, Iger — a historically generous donor to progressive causes and candidates — was the compulsive leader, then meddler, who consistently pushed Disney to adopt his preferred political and social justice agenda:

Disney’s retrenchment comes nearly three years after it found itself sinking in political quicksand.

 

In early 2022, Disney became a target for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after then-Chief Executive Bob Chapek waffled on a response to a Florida law aimed at preventing classroom discussions about sexual identity. Chapek’s instinct was to stay out of the fray and he initially defended the company’s initial silence, saying in a letter to Disney employees that corporate statements “do very little to change outcomes or minds.”

 

Such proclamations are “often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame,” Chapek wrote.

 

But after loud protests from employees and activists — and a Twitter post from then-retired Iger, who warned the Florida legislation “will put vulnerable, young LGBTQ people in jeopardy” — Chapek reversed course.

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

Iger, as NLPC pointed out at the time, forced Chapek’s hand into the Florida firestorm. Later deep-dive reports showed that Iger never really departed the Disney scene, maneuvering among the board of directors and largely undermining Chapek’s efforts to lead the company.

With its stock price in the toilet, however, Iger had to change course:

DeSantis seized on Disney’s shifting stance and branded the company as “woke.”

 

In conservative circles, the pejorative label stuck…

 

Iger, who returned as chief executive two years ago to replace Chapek, recognized the existential threat.

 

“Our primary mission needs to be to entertain,” Iger said during the company’s 2023 investor meeting. “It should not be agenda-driven.”