Theirs wasn’t a relationship that anyone wanted to write home about, and we are learning more about just how bad things were between Disney CEO Bob Iger and former (now-fired) CEO Bob Chapek.
Bob Iger served as CEO of The Walt Disney Company for 15 years — from 2005 through the beginning of 2020. During that time, he was responsible for some of Disney’s biggest acquisitions, including Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm. He was also responsible for the creation and opening of the Shanghai Disneyland Resort in 2016.
Iger stepped down as CEO in February 2020, and Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek took over. Unfortunately, almost from day one, things for Mr. Chapek went downhill, and they did so incredibly fast.
Just weeks after assuming the CEO role, Chapek was forced to shut down all Disney theme parks and every film and television production because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even once things opened up and began to get back to normal, things were far from rosy for the new CEO.
During his less than three years in the role, Chapek managed to upset Disney cast members, fans, and shareholders. There were protests, walkouts, lawsuits, and billions of dollars lost on Disney+. It was not a great time for the company, and Chapek was unceremoniously fired by Disney in November 2022.
Related: Bob Iger Makes Big Reversal In Chapek-Era Changes
During his time as CEO, a bombshell report revealed that things were not good between Bob Chapek and Bob Iger — who had remained with Disney as its Executive Chairman, as well as a member of Disney’s Board of Directors. The article said that Chapek wanted to take complete control of the Mouse House, but Iger was not willing to give it up.
Iger was reportedly very unhappy with Chapek’s job and still tried to control what happened within the company. He also reportedly called appointing Bob Chapek CEO one of his “worst business decisions.”
It’s been almost two years since Bob Iger returned as Disney CEO, and a new report from The New York Times has revealed just how bad the relationship between the two executives was.
According to sources who spoke to The New York Times, just weeks after being named CEO, Mr. Chapek realized that Iger wasn’t going anywhere and wasn’t planning on giving up control.
Just weeks into his tenure as chief executive, Mr. Chapek expressed frustration. “I can’t survive another two years of this,” Mr. Chapek told Arthur Bochner, his chief of staff. Mr. Iger is “not going to leave. He’ll be here until he dies.”
Sources also said that, despite the company’s reputation as fun and full of friendship and love, the executive suite was actually a “snake pit” where everyone had to look over their shoulder.
Related: Bob Chapek Calls Being Disney CEO “Three Years of Hell”
Mr. Chapek was not the only person who noticed that Mr. Iger was intent on keeping control of the company he spent over half his life working at. The NYT article also reveals that Chapek’s wife, Cynthia Ford, believed her husband was being treated as nothing more than Bob Iger’s “lapdog.”
Ford was not happy that Mr. Iger had overruled her husband on the decision to furlough Disney cast members during the pandemic. Chapek wanted to furlough workers as soon as the theme parks closed, while Iger wanted to wait until the COVID relief bill passed. In the end, Iger won out.
Two months earlier, when Mr. Chapek and Mr. Iger had appeared together on CNBC, Mr. Iger brushed aside a question about the potential for confusion over who was in charge. “Bob is going to be running the company,” Mr. Iger said. But now it seemed to Mr. Chapek that Mr. Iger was acting as though nothing had changed — Mr. Iger was still chief executive in all but name.
Mr. Chapek’s wife told him he was little more than Mr. Iger’s “lap dog.”
Almost immediately after his termination, Mr. Chapek reportedly hired Bryan Freedman, a high-powered attorney who handled prominent media departures. Freedman allegedly informed Chapek that he had a really good case against Disney if he decided to sue the company. He said that Bob Iger had made it nearly impossible for Bob Chapek to do his job.
In the end, Chapek said that his children and grandchildren were a “Disney family,” which persuaded Chapek against filing a lawsuit.
Bob Iger will remain as Disney CEO through the end of 2026. A committee has been established to help find his successor, and there are reportedly four people in the running. The committee and Iger are considering current Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro, the co-chairs of Walt Disney Entertainment, Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
Do you think Bob Chapek’s wife was right? Was Mr. Chapek nothing more than Bob Iger’s “lapdog”?