Disney’s ‘Dream Candidate’ To Replace Bob Iger as CEO Doesn’t Want the Job

The end of Bob Iger’s second stint as Disney CEO is only 20 months away, and the company still isn’t any closer to naming his successor. While the internal candidates have each had time to shine, none of them has shown the overwhelming talent and gravitas it takes to lead Disney.

Chairman of Disney Parks and Experiences Josh D’Amaro and Co-Chairmen of Disney Entertainment Dana Walden and Alan Bergman are seen as the three internal frontrunners for the position. However, each one lacks experience in aspects of the company.

D’Amaro lacks experience in the entertainment sector, including Disney’s massive streaming portfolio, while Walden and Bergman lack experience in the parks sector, the economic engine of The Walt Disney Company. Given the current political climate, Walden’s close relationship with former Vice President Kamala Harris is also seen as a negative.

While the Disney Board will be scouring the ranks of every company in the world to find the perfect CEO, one dream candidate once again pulled his name out of contention.

Speaking at the Time 100 Summit this week, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said that he would rather take over Saturday Night Live than become Disney’s next CEO. He also told the crowd he had “no idea” who the company would choose as its next leader.

Sarandos joined Netflix in 2000, and under his leadership, it has become the gold standard in streaming services, with over 300 million subscribers worldwide. Earlier this month, Netflix announced that it had $10.54 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2025, beating Wall Street expectations.

Netflix is currently valued at $370 billion, more than double that of The Walt Disney Company. Given Disney’s recent stock struggles, naming Sarandos the company’s next CEO would help prop up the stock and bring Disney into the digital age. More importantly, it would give Disney a creative/innovative mind that isn’t married to the ways of the past.

Puck News Wrote of the Sarandos/Disney marriage:

Now consider what would happen if Ted Sarandos were named the next leader of Disney. He’d almost certainly pop the stock—immediately, if not during an extended honeymoon period—not to mention turn heads in the broader business community. Imagine the great digital disruptor of Hollywood bringing the town’s largest and most influential studio into the digital future. It’s kinda perfect.

Alas, Sarandos would rather take over for Lorne Michaels at SNL than Iger at Disney. Sarandos said in October: 

It’s not even on my mind. It’s hard for me to recommend the program to another company where I don’t really understand their business and, in turn, their business culture. I understand their business pretty well, but not their business culture.

So, the search for Disney’s next CEO will continue without its “dream candidate” on the list. For the sake of Disney fans everywhere, let’s hope the next CEO isn’t another Bob Chapek.