For a man supposedly walking Disney back from divisive politics, Bob Iger sure knows how to stay in the spotlight—and not in a good way. Within just one week, the long-reigning Disney CEO managed to have his name associated with two stunning displays of elitist posturing that reveal his true priorities. Hint: They’re not the shareholders. Or families.
First came the latest political tantrum from Angel City FC—the Los Angeles-based women’s soccer team co-owned by Iger and his wife, Willow Bay. The club released a statement on social media that condemned recent ICE raids in Los Angeles, declaring solidarity with “undocumented” residents and immigrant communities. It was textbook progressive pandering: virtue signaling dressed in soccer jerseys.
To be clear, the message didn’t come from Disney. But it did come from an entity directly owned and influenced by Iger. Anyone pretending that his name and influence aren’t directly tied to Angel City FC is either naïve or complicit. If Iger truly wanted to be apolitical—as he’s claimed—he might have told his soccer team to keep their cleats out of the culture wars.
Kathleen Kennedy/PHOTO: Dick Thomas Johnson (CC)
Instead, the same man who claims Disney should avoid unnecessary controversy quietly allows his other public ventures to pick fights with federal law enforcement.
But it doesn’t stop with his soccer hobby. Almost simultaneously, reports surfaced that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy—best known for running the Star Wars brand into the ground—is lobbying for Iger to receive an honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Yes, the woman responsible for turning a once-proud franchise into an identity-politics dumpster fire now wants her boss to get a lifetime achievement award.
In South Park: Joining the Panderverse, Eric Cartman describes his nightmare about Disney and Kathleen Kennedy. pic.twitter.com/jt6JSHZew5
— Burnouts3 (@Burnouts3s3) October 27, 2023
If it weren’t so laughable, it would be insulting. The Academy reportedly wasn’t thrilled about it either, but Kennedy—still inexplicably employed—continued to work the phones on Iger’s behalf, to no avail. Her loyalty speaks volumes: she should have been fired years ago, but instead she’s been allowed to hang on, largely thanks to Iger’s protection.
What has he done to deserve a Hollywood medal? The last several years of Disney’s film portfolio have been a parade of commercial and critical disasters. Here’s a highlight reel of flops:
- The Lightyear debacle: infusing LGBTQ depictions into a film for child audiences instead of entertaining them
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Strange World: a massive box office bust now memory-holed by the studio
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The fifth Indiana Jones movie: universally mocked, lost $130 million
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The Marvels and its underwhelming superhero cousins: MCU fatigue made worse by bad writing
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Snow White remake: a politically corrected tale that removed dwarfs, charm, and audiences
These aren’t misfires. They’re Iger’s blueprint.
And in the middle of all this, Disney’s board decided to name their new New York headquarters after—who else?—Bob Iger. It certainly fits a man whose self-regard is matched only by his media narrative management.
This is, after all, the same board that greenlit Iger’s return after the Bob Chapek implosion, which Iger helped orchestrate by undermining the man he once championed. The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and New York Times have all documented the palace intrigue and power grabs that brought Iger back to the throne.
It was never about stability. It was about optics—and Iger’s legacy.
That legacy is now steeped in failure. And not just in film. Under Iger’s stewardship, Disney leaned hard into DEI ideology, alienated families with sexualized content, and turned its once-wholesome parks into battlegrounds for identity politics.
NLPC called for Disney’s entire board to be replaced in a 2023 SEC filing, citing their lack of accountability and obsessive embrace of left-wing activism.
None of that has changed under Iger 2.0. In fact, it’s gotten worse.
Despite public promises to steer Disney away from the culture wars, the company remains committed to progressive programming, DEI mandates, and appeasing radical constituencies. The supposed “course correction” was little more than PR vapor.
Meanwhile, Angel City FC becomes a mouthpiece for open borders, and Kathleen Kennedy becomes Iger’s campaign manager for a consolation Oscar.
This is what corporate rot looks like with a Hollywood filter.
Iger’s carefully cultivated image—as a stabilizing, rational executive trying to “save” Disney—is a mirage. What he’s actually saving is his own brand, one gold statue, one building dedication, and one soccer statement at a time.
Until Disney’s board stops enabling his ego and starts addressing its actual business failures, the company will keep producing more flops, more backlash, and more mockery.
But at least Bob Iger will feel important.
(AI image of Robert Iger and Kathleen Kennedy above generated via Grok)
