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Credit: DisneyA report from The New York Times has seemingly put to bed longstanding rumors from many Disney fans concerning The Walt Disney Company.
The New York Times’ Kara Swisher recently posted an interview with Bob Iger, former Disney CEO, in which he spoke on many topics surrounding Walt Disney Co.
However, the most popular rumor concerning Mr. Iger has been that he might return as CEO of the company amid much drama surrounding his successor, Bob Chapek. In case you weren’t aware, Ever since Chapek became Disney CEO in early 2020, there has been a ton of backlash from fans on how he is handling the role, including the creation of a petition asking Disney to fire him, which has gained nearly 90,000 signatures.
Chapek has been CEO during the ongoing pandemic and has made difficult decisions throughout this last year and a half, including the layoffs of thousands of Cast Members after the Parks shutdown and the launch of Disney Genie, including the new paid FastPass system, Lightning Lane.
Still, despite the rumors that Chapek could be out and Iger could step back into the role, the former Disney CEO and current Disney Chairman said he had no interest in “coming back home.”
“Well, that’s ridiculous, Iger said of the rumors. “I was CEO for a long time. You can’t go home again. I’m gone.”
In a previous interview with CNBC recently, Iger gave his thoughts on Bob Chapek and said that change is a good thing.
“Look the world is changing dramatically and it’s important for the CEO of the company to address all of those changes rapidly, Bob [Chapek] is going to address them probably differently perhaps than I may have, but that’s neither good nor bad. I think generally speaking, change is good. Change isn’t necessarily bad.”
While many Disney fans were holding out hope for Iger to return to the role, it seems he has officially put those rumors to bed. The Walt Disney Company will have many tough decisions to make in the coming years and, for now, it seems that Bob Chapek will be the one spearheading those choices.
Currently at the Disney Parks, Walt Disney World Resort is in the midst of opening several new attractions including Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and an all-new Moana walk-through experience at EPCOT. Disney is also slated to open the controversial Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser luxury hotel in just a matter of weeks. Disneyland Resort just recently opened the Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure, which includes the popular attraction WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.
In addition, Disney has been continuing its phased reopening of each Disney Park, which has included the return of nighttime spectaculars, parades, and popular shows. Just yesterday, Disney World announced that the popular Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom would be returning.
What do you think of Bob Iger’s comments that he won’t be returning as CEO of The Walt Disney Company?