The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives within major corporations, with The Walt Disney Company in its crosshairs. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by Chairman Brendan Carr, is reportedly launching an investigation into Disney’s DEI practices.
This development aligns with the administration’s broader agenda to curtail DEI programs across various sectors. Notably, the FCC’s scrutiny of Disney follows similar investigations into other media giants like Comcast and Verizon.
The investigation’s focus centers on whether Disney’s DEI initiatives comply with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations and uphold public interest standards.
In an interview with Punchbowl News, Chairman Carr emphasized the FCC’s commitment to probing potential DEI-related discrimination: “Whether they’re engaged in any sort of this DEI discrimination that could run afoul of our EEO rules or potentially our public interest standard… we’re going to get to the bottom of everything that is ongoing here and stay tuned on that one.”
Disney’s recent actions suggest a response to the shifting political climate. The company has modified certain DEI efforts, such as altering content advisories and removing the “Reimagine Tomorrow” diversity initiative from its website.
At Disney’s latest Annual Shareholders Meeting, investors overwhelmingly rejected a proposal from the Free Enterprise Project, an organization known for its conservative stance, advocating for the company to withdraw from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The proposal garnered only 1% support, reflecting shareholders’ commitment to maintaining DEI initiatives despite external pressures.
Nevertheless, Carr warned companies like Disney to kill their DEI initiatives: “What I’ve suggested to regulated companies — not just ones that are looking to do deals before the FCC but all businesses regulated by the FCC — is I suggest that they get busy ending their promotion of DEI.”
Before taking office, Carr sent a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger warning that the FCC would monitor ongoing ABC carriage negotiations with local broadcasting networks. He accused the Disney subsidiary of “attempting to extract onerous financial and operational concessions from local broadcast TV stations under the threat of terminating long-held affiliations, which could result in blackouts and other harms to local consumers of broadcast news and content.”
In January, the FCC reinstated a “news distortion” complaint against ABC affiliate WPVI after the Philidelphia station fact-checked Donald Trump during a presidential debate.
The Walt Disney Company has not publicly responded to Carr’s comments about the FCC investigation into DEI at ABC.
What do you think of The Walt Disney Company’s DEI policies? Let Disney Dining know your opinion in the comments!
Leave dinsey alone trump
Can you say GOVERNMENT OVERREACH? This whole administration makes me sick
This is so wrong,I don’t understand why people are intimidated by dei
This Government is turning Facist by taking away freedom of speech and expression. A small majority of the population disagrees with LGBTQ so they try to remove from every platform available. What happened to if you don’t like it don’t read it, spend your money on it or visit the resorts?
Leave the WALT DISNEY COMPANY ALONE they are not turning kids queer.
Disney just went too far with it.
Wonder who this writer voted for 😂😂😂
Good, now get rid of those fairy godfathers at Bippity Boppity Boutique
Indeed, Disney has gone too far with DEI. Time for all of us to be judged by the content of our character, not a minority status. I am Latino so in theory benefit from DEI too, but forced quota’s and preferential treatment need to go away.
Absolutely agree! Disney needs to clean up their practices in so many ways! It’s not always the wonderful family facade it presents. Pushing woke agendas and DEI policies should have no place in any Disney companies. People should not be judged on race or age or having to meet certain quotas. Their work ethic and merit should be the driving force. Clean it up Disney and quit pushing crap agendas on your customers and workers.
This is a theme park!! Disney should not be involved in any government issues or issues on equality. This is the whole reason people are boycotting movies and the parks. This is an infringement on others values. If you want to be Equal don’t get involved in political issues!! Again this is a theme park for children. Stay in you lane!!!
For those of you who see this as Disney being too involved in Diversity, wake up. It’s an international business, and interacts with people from all backgrounds and should reflect that. And ISSUES OF EQUALITY should be important to all of us, for Heavens sake; it’s who Americans are supposed to be.
Government interference with private business should concern all of us. It’s actually antithetical to what Republicans USED to believe, pre MAGA. It’s more fascist than not.
I hope Disney stands up these bullies and takes them to court.
On another note, can you imagine all of The World Showcase being run by white American (male) cast members? Ugh. That’s who these guys think should be running everything. Don’t know why. The Signal mess up proves otherwise. (I’m white)
Agree
I started working for Disney in the early 90’s and the company was solid “DEI” before the DEI moniker was created. Since the early 90’s, promotions at Disney were rarely determined by merit, qualifications or work ethics. Cast members getting ahead or even getting hired were based or the DEI criteria long, long, long ago.
Gee, perhaps their idea of merit is different from yours.
As an international business, wanting business reps (CM) to look like the clientele seems future thinking.
Btw, are you insinuating that DEI CM (whatever that REALLY means) aren’t good enough?
Trump! Hands off Disney. This is just another example of Revenge by Trump.
First, do all y’all screeching about how Disney needs to “stop DEI” even know what it means? Bet you don’t. It just means looking at a diverse, highly qualified pool of potential employees, knowing that diversity in a workforce is a Good Thing. Not for the optics, but for the valuable insights that a not-homogenous workforce brings to the table. The “E” is for equity, meaning that all employees are treated equally and fairly. An employer that discriminated against a demographic in their workforce fosters uncertainty, lack of motivation, suspicion and lack of cohesiveness in their teams. Knowing that you will be given the same treatment and opportunities (based on skills and qualifications) as your coworkers makes you inclined to learn more and do your best. The “I” is for inclusion. See: NOT discriminating. Not all workplaces can be totally inclusive: a job that requires driving won’t be looking for visually implied employees. But it’s incredible how well many people with disabilities integrate into most jobs when accessible workplaces are the norm. And while I love brightly colored hair and tattoos, certain visible forms of expression are slower to be part of many workplaces. And y’all just need to get over being butthurt that Disney has welcomed the LGBTQ community in its workforce for decades. They are part of your world. Live with it, just like your grandparents had to live with black coworkers. Then women. My goodness, what’s next?
As for the federal government poking it’s very unwelcome nose into privately owned business’ hiring practices, the important words are: Privately. Owned. Business. As long as a business isn’t discriminating in some way in how they hire people, it’s none of Cheeto Benito’s business what they use as a template.
I’m a 67 year old cis white person. I love going to DL and seeing a diverse CM workforce. My only complaints are: they still haven’t hired enough CMs, even though we are way past post-covid reopening, and they need to give their CMs more freedom to make decisions when (not if) guests cause trouble.
Couldn’t like this more if I had written it!!!!
Well said.