D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is here, and this is the weekend fans plan their year around.
You know the drill. Months of rumors, leaks, permit-watching, and prediction posts all funnel into a few days when everything gets confirmed or quietly vanishes. People show up with wish lists. Some leave vindicated. Others watch a favorite theory get flattened on stage.
Nobody puts “run into the CEO of The Walt Disney Company” on that list.
That happened anyway on day one.
Josh D’Amaro swapped the executive stage for the convention floor, and if you know how Disney CEOs usually handle this event, that is a real break from precedent.
Where He Turned Up
D’Amaro was spotted walking the Anaheim Convention Center, stopping to shake hands and talk with attendees.
Photos on his official Instagram show him greeting guests outside the convention center and across the show floor.
His caption on the post:
“We’re excited to welcome fans from around the world to #D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event this weekend. There’s nothing like seeing this community come together, and I’m thrilled to be celebrating what makes Disney so special with all of you.”
Why That Is Notable
Disney CEOs have historically kept a very different profile here.
Bob Iger and Bob Chapek both stuck to formal, scheduled appearances at D23. The major showcases cover Disney Parks, entertainment, and the headline presentations. Structured, staged, announced in advance.
An unannounced walk through the show floor on opening day is something else. It drops the CEO into the same space as regular attendees with no podium and no script.
This is also Josh D’Amaro’s first D23 since officially succeeding Bob Iger as CEO earlier this year.
Not Out of Character for Josh
If you are surprised, you have not been following him long.
D’Amaro previously ran Disney Experiences and, in that role, regularly appeared at fan events, theme parks, and major presentations, including the Disney Experiences Showcase at D23.
He has years of informal appearances and guest interactions at Disney Parks worldwide behind him. Fans have been trading stories about running into him since well before he got the top job.
The title changed. The behavior did not.
What Josh D’Amaro’s Tenure Has Looked Like So Far
The floor walk fits a broader pattern.
Analysts widely expected restructuring when he took over. New CEOs usually arrive with reorganizations, shifted reporting lines, and pivots meant to signal change.
That did not happen.
Internally, Josh D’Amaro kept the managerial architecture built by his predecessor largely intact, picking operational stability over disruptive overhauls. His directives have leaned on execution instead of reinvention.
Streaming got a continued push on core profitability and stabilizing average revenue per user across Disney+ and Hulu. Experiences kept its $60 billion capital expenditure plan locked in, with construction accelerating on Villains Land at Magic Kingdom and Monstropolis at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The logic tracks. The company had cycled through the late-stage Iger era, then Chapek’s centralized reorg, then Iger’s reactive restructuring. Divisions were exhausted and wanted predictability.
The Other Half of the Job
Externally, things have been louder.
D’Amaro has been in a significant regulatory fight over ABC’s broadcasting licenses, mobilizing Disney’s legal team and publicly defending the network’s editorial independence rather than quietly settling.
Not the posture most people expected from an executive who came up through theme park operations.
Which makes the show floor moment sharper. The guy shaking hands at the convention center is the one Disney fans have known for years. The one handling federal regulatory pressure is newer. Both are running simultaneously.
Why Fans Cared About Seeing Josh
Small gestures land hard at an event like this.
D23 attendees buy tickets, travel from around the world, and stand in long lines for panels and merchandise. Most will never be in the same room as Disney leadership.
A CEO walking the floor unannounced means some number of them got an unplanned encounter with the person running the company. That builds goodwill in a way a stage appearance cannot.
It is also a smart read. D23 exists to celebrate the relationship between Disney and its fans. Standing in the middle of it rather than above it makes that point better than a speech would.
Still to Come
Josh D’Amaro also opened the Disney Entertainment Showcase at the Honda Center, speaking about Disney’s connection with fans across generations.
D23 runs through the weekend with the Disney Legends ceremony and more park announcements ahead.
Another surprise floor appearance before it wraps? Based on his track record, it would not be shocking.
