Generally speaking, our Disney news coverage usually stays within the realms of entertainment. We like to talk about the latest movies on Disney Plus, speculate on the company’s future in the box office, and call attention to trending sound bites from our favorite actors. While we do get critical over the Mouse House’s practices (my fellow writers and I have been especially vocal about the recent purge of content on Disney Plus), we tend to keep it positive. However, that’s proving difficult today.
The WGA writers’ strike has been looming in the background of every entertainment news article on our site and now, as SAG begins to strike after the July 12 deadline has come and gone, it’s impossible, and frankly irresponsible, to ignore (not that we have; check that tag!). Disney, like most major entertainment companies, is one of the studios feeling the effects of the strike, which began on May 2. During a year of rare financial turmoil — don’t get it twisted; Disney is still making the big bucks — Disney seems to be feeling the pressure, if CEO Bob Iger’s recent comments are any indication. While Iger criticizes the strikers, the internet is responding in kind, including some wronged Disney workers who just want to be paid what they’re worth. Meanwhile, Iger’s comments carry even more of a sting as he starts to wonder if TV “may not be core to Disney.”
Bob Iger, worth an estimated $600 million, calls strikers “disruptive” amid current business climate and criticizes demands
Bob Iger, who returned to his post as Disney’s CEO in November 2022 after a short-lived retirement, made headlines when he sat for an interview with CNBC Thursday morning. While much of the interview’s content has proven itself newsworthy, it’s Iger’s comments about the WGA strike that are getting the most attention. Iger commented that he found the strike “disturbing” amid industry challenges like recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, “this is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption.” He then went on to diplomatically acknowledge the rights of labor organizers to endeavor “to be compensated for the value they deliver,” before calling the writers’ demands “unrealistic…very disruptive and dangerous.” When pressed as to why their demands were all those things, Iger responded that he “can’t answer that question.”
“I understand any labor organization’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver. We managed to negotiate a good deal with the Directors Guild that reflects the value the directors contribute to this business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers and we’d like to do the same thing with the actors. There’s a level of expectation that they have that is just not realistic, and they are adding to a set of challenges this business is already facing, that is frankly, very disruptive and dangerous.”
In news that probably won’t shock you if you’re not a CEO, Iger’s viewpoint is being criticized for being out of touch. The Disney CEO is worth an estimated $600 million and will like take home an annual salary of $27 million this year alone; implying the strikers are going without pay for several months because they’re greedy seems comical.
WGA members and several Disney employees respond to Iger’s complaints via social media
Iger’s belief that it’s unreasonable for the people who work in entertainment to demand fair compensation for their hard work hasn’t gone over well. Aside from general disapproval on social media (I can’t remember the last time I saw Twitter so united on an issue), several striking writers and (both former and current) Disney employees voiced their displeasure with Iger. Writer David Slack, behind hit animated show Teen Titans and the 2016 MacGyver reboot, commented, “If studios making $30 billion in profit are really struggling, take a pay cut, Bob.”
James Roger III, a writer behind the recently purged Disney Plus show The Mysterious Benedict Society, was understandably miffed by Iger’s comments. The show, which was nominated for 11 Emmys last year (winning two), was simultaneously cancelled and completely erased from the only streaming service where viewers could watch it. Rogers brought up the show’s critical success, asking Iger if there’s anything “realistic” about cancelling a show that, by any measure of success, did well. By removing the show, Disney ensured that neither Rogers, nor anyone in the production, remain able to collect residuals or watch an episode.
One actor who’s worked on several Disney projects posted a screenshot of a residual check to emphasize how little real actors make off these massive films. JB Tadena simply tweeted, “Nah,” and showed a check worth $.10 for his work on Raya and the Last Dragon. Tadena is credited as “Additional Voices,” but even if he had one line in the film, no role on a movie with a budget as big as Raya and the Last Dragon‘s should amount to such little pay.
In the same interview, Iger says he’s toying with the idea of selling ABC and will cut back on making Marvel and Lucasfilm content
While Iger was quick to recognize Disney films are leading the global box office this year, he was equally quick to point out some creative misses in recent years, specifically citing Pixar as doing more poorly than he had hoped. He echoed the sentiment that several Pixar movies going straight to streaming almost immediately has harmed the studio’s films in the box office. Iger has extended his contract as CEO until 2026, and a big item on his agenda is to make Disney’s streaming services profitable; he complimented the company’s work over the last seven months, but believes there are still challenges ahead.
Iger also said Disney is “open-minded and objective about the future” of businesses like ABC, acknowledging that linear TV channels like ABC, Disney Channel, and FX “may not be core to Disney.” While he believes the creativity behind the content on these channels is core to Disney, he implies he’s open to a sale as profits are down.
“There clearly is content that they create that is core to Disney, but the distribution model, the business model that forms the underpinning of that business — and that is delivering great profits over the years — is definitely broken, and we have to call it like it is.”
He also says Disney may have been overzealous with diving into Marvel and Lucasfilm TV shows in an effort to increase Disney Plus’ profitability. In regard to Marvel, he believes focusing on TV “diluted focus and attention” as both movies and series increased in number. There’s nothing inherently wrong with cutting back on these shows (with the way most of Phase Five has gone, it might be a good thing) but saying Disney will be producing less content while calling WGA strikers too demanding all in the same interview comes across as tone-deaf.