CEO Bob Iger “Stunned” People Blame Him for Disney Chaos

Bob Iger is reportedly “stunned” to find out that he is being blamed for the chaos surrounding the Walt Disney Company and other major studios and is looking for other people to blame.

To put it mildly, Disney has been spiraling in the last year. Box office grosses have been down across the board, its most anticipated live-action remake movie is weathering controversy after controversy, and the entire entertainment industry is at a standstill due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

While CEO Bob Iger was brought back to helm Disney after Bob Chapek stepped down amidst political struggles with Florida Governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, things have not been going well.

Related: “Tone-Deaf,” Bob Iger Slammed for Ignoring Major Disney Issue

Disney CEO Bob Iger “Thin Skinned”

According to a report in Deadline, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the studio trade association facing off against striking writers and actors, is in turmoil and Bob Iger is right at the center of it.

Insiders say that both Bob Iger and Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav are being described internally as “thin-skinned” and “stunned” to find they are being blamed by strikers and the public at large for the ongoing, incredibly contentious issue.

This might have something to do with Bob Iger’s controversial statements describing strikers asking for better pay and job protections as “unrealistic,” particularly in lieu of the Disney CEO’s reported 2021 compensation of nearly $46 million.

Additionally, reports that the AMPTP plans to try to force strikers to surrender by refusing to negotiate in good faith until union members lose their homes are not endearing people to the likes of the very wealthy Bob Iger and David Zaslav.

Bob Iger Disney Blunders

It also does not help that Bob Iger is increasingly being perceived as fumbling the Disney ball.

At the moment, Disney is involved with two different lawsuits with Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida, while Bob Iger himself has inflamed panic within the company by essentially dismissing valuable parts of the company like linear TV, i.e., the Disney Channel.

Additionally, the Disney CEO seems to be desperately searching for another company to bear the brunt of turning ESPN into a streaming service that costs more than anything else on the market; so far, Comcast, Amazon, and Apple have all been brought up as possibilities.

Then there is Bob Iger’s controversial decision to open up Disney to sports betting, which many have questioned as being out of the company’s family-friendly image and potentially helping to hook young audiences on problematic gambling.

Related: Disney to Downsize: CEO Bob Iger Prepping to Sell Disney Entertainment

Someone Else’s Faults

It seems that Bob Iger, David Zaslav, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos’ and other powerful studio figures just want someone else to take the heat for industry issues, with Deadline reporting that “They’re paralyzed, even as the clock is ticking, and it’s Ted’s fault, Iger’s fault, even Tony Vinciquerra’s fault, depending on who you ask…It’s not helping the situation, or anyone.”

We guess that’s what all the millions of dollars are for, Mr Iger.

Who do you think is to blame for Disney’s problems right now? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!