It is nearly the end of December, which means a new year, new hopes, and — maybe most importantly — new trips to Disney! For die-hard Disney fans, each new year represents new chances to make those incredible Disney memories. This has been a wild and crazy year for not only Disney Guests, but also The Walt Disney Company. One of the most notable events was the shocking firing of Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who was then replaced by former popular CEO Bob Iger.
In the less than three years he was CEO of Disney, Bob Chapek failed to find his footing with Disney fans. There was public misstep after public misstep, combined with his fight with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, his lack of action on the Don’t Say Gay bill, his constant price hikes at the Parks, and his seeming reluctance to spend money to maintain the theme parks.
Eventually, Disney fans and the Disney Board had enough. Chapek was fired, and Bob Iger was brought back in to save the day. And that is why The Hollywood Reporter named Bob Iger the Homecoming King of 2022.
Bob Iger was the CEO of Disney from 2005 until February 2020. During that time, Iger oversaw the creation of Cars Land in Disney California Adventure Park at Disneyland Resort, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, as well as Pandora: The World of Avatar in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort. He also was responsible for Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Marvel, Pixar, and LucasFilm.
During Iger’s tenure, Disney’s stock also grew significantly, making it one of the top entertainment companies to have shares in.
Unfortunately, Iger is currently trying to figure out how to bring Disney shares back up from the significant drops they have been experiencing. He also has to figure out how to improve the morale of Disney employees, and the morale of the Guests at the Park — many of which feel Disney has lost its magic. Iger must also figure out how to keep Disney from losing massive amounts of cash with Disney+.
While Iger is only set to remain as Chief Executive Officer through 2024, The Hollywood Reporter is positive that he can enact the much-needed changes at Disney, which is why he was voted Homecoming King.
