Many Say Josh D'Amaro Escapes Criticism by Being More Attractive Than Bob Chapek - Inside the Magic

As news broke this week of price increases at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, many fans once again blamed The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek, often the scapegoat for unpopular decisions and price increases.

Related: Disney’s Stock Price Crumbles To Lowest In Over a Year Amid Florida Battle

Chapek has been the voice of The Walt Disney Company since Bob Iger retired in 2020, taking over at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and a year before Florida Governor Ron DeSantis introduced the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Previous Republican political donations blew up in The Walt Disney Company’s face as fans and Cast Members demanded Chapek condemn the law, officially titled the Parental Rights in Education Act.

Ultimately, Chapek stood with the LGBTQIA+ community and said The Walt Disney Company would not support any politicians that voted for the “Don’t Say Gay” law. This led to the Florida government’s upcoming dissolution of Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Related: Disney CEO Bob Chapek Brags About Pricey ‘Star Wars’ Hotel, Calls It “Our Best Experience Yet”

Though he’s the voice of The Walt Disney Company, some fans say Chapek gets blamed for decisions likely approved by the head of Parks, Experiences, and Products, Josh D’Amaro. Twitter user @cabel called D’Amaro the “luckiest executive alive:”

Josh D’Amaro is the luckiest executive alive. He’s the literal chairman of Disney Parks. He has to be the one making the calls on Genie+’s wild new pricing systems, the reservations, the confusion, the gouging. But because he’s Zaddy McSkinnyJeans, Bob Chapek gets all the hate…

Josh D'Amaro is the luckiest executive alive. He's the literal chairman of Disney Parks. He has to be the one making the calls on Genie+'s wild new pricing systems, the reservations, the confusion, the gouging. But because he's Zaddy McSkinnyJeans, Bob Chapek gets all the hate… pic.twitter.com/OM3QpKXuUY

— Cabel (@cabel) October 12, 2022

@klf3681 said both executives are to blame:

Josh and chapek are both to blame. Both are trying to push and push just far enough where attendance stays at profitable levels until we finally rebel and say enough. Once they find that number they will go back slightly. They just havent reached it yet where it hurts investors

Josh and chapek are both to blame. Both are trying to push and push just far enough where attendance stays at profitable levels until we finally rebel and say enough. Once they find that number they will go back slightly. They just havent reached it yet where it hurts investors

— Kris (@klf3681) October 12, 2022

@Spence_Mountain said Chapek was blamed for unfavorable decisions even in the Iger years when he worked in D’Amaro’s current position as chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts:

It’s funny because when Chapek was in charge of the parks, Iger got almost no blame.

It’s funny because when Chapek was in charge of the parks, Iger got almost no blame.

— Spencer Stevenson (@Spence_Mountain) October 12, 2022

Many Disney Park fans agreed, like @katielogue520:

I didn’t like Bob Iger either, but he was similar to D’Amaro in that he was a golden child that everyone liked to deflect blame from. Iger wasn’t much better than Chapek, they’re two sides of the same coin (one side is just maybe slightly shinier than the other)

I didn’t like Bob Iger either, but he was similar to D’Amaro in that he was a golden child that everyone liked to deflect blame from. Iger wasn’t much better than Chapek, they’re two sides of the same coin (one side is just maybe slightly shinier than the other)

— Katie Logue (@katielogue520) October 12, 2022

Earlier this year, @magicoswald agreed that D’Amaro has “pretty privilege,” allowing him to avoid criticism: