Disney is preparing another round of layoffs, and they are reportedly days away.
Matthew Belloni reported in his Puck News column that cuts are planned for the end of September. Disney declined to comment.
No number has been reported.
Which Roles
Belloni describes the cuts as “more limited and focused in H.R., product/tech, and other operations functions.”
He also rules out the rumor that had been circulating for weeks. The next move is not the large television division consolidation people expected.
Not the Parks
Worth saying plainly, because the confusion is already spreading.
Parks and experiences has not been named.
That division employs most of Disney’s roughly 233,000 workers worldwide. Nothing in the reporting points at park operations.
If you work at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, this is not your division.
Why Now
Disney’s fiscal year ends in late September.
Companies move headcount before a fiscal year closes so the reduction lands in the closing year’s books instead of carrying forward. It is routine.
It also means anything done this week shows up at Disney’s next earnings call, expected in November.
The Fourth Round in 2026
April. Roughly 1,000 employees, including marketing and branding teams and about 8 percent of Marvel Entertainment. CEO Josh D’Amaro confirmed it internally as part of streamlining efforts.
July. Hundreds across Pixar, ESPN, and Disney Entertainment Television. National Geographic was hit hardest within DET. ESPN’s Karl Ravech and Ryan Clark were among those affected. Most ESPN cuts traced to the NFL Network acquisition.
August. Variety reported time-limited early retirement packages offered to director-level executives and above. Headcount comes down without a layoff announcement.
September. The round now reported. Smaller, aimed at support functions.
Four headcount actions in six months.
The Context
Disney has not explained the September cuts, because Disney has not acknowledged them.
But the surrounding moves are public. This month Disney named Adam Smith direct-to-consumer chairman, moved Joe Earley into television franchise and content strategy, and hired Karandeep Anand as its first ever chief technology officer.
That last one is interesting. Disney brought in a CTO while reportedly cutting product and technology roles. Not a contradiction necessarily. New leadership often arrives specifically to restructure what sits underneath.
The pressures are real either way. Streaming economics. Sports rights. The redundancies the NFL Network deal created. AI reshaping technology and operations work.
How Solid Is This
Not fully solid, and that matters.
Disney has not confirmed anything and declined to comment. The details come from unnamed sources talking to one reporter.
Belloni’s April and July reporting held up, which earns this a serious look. But treat it as unconfirmed until Disney or affected employees say more.
Note how the earlier rounds surfaced. Both times, trade reporting came first. Employees found out individually. There was no company announcement.
If this follows the pattern, confirmation comes from the people who lose their jobs, not from Disney.
Where That Leaves Things
Four rounds in a year across marketing, corporate, ESPN, studios, television, and now HR and tech is a pattern, not a series of separate calls.
Disney frames each one through its One Disney restructuring strategy. That framing has been consistent.
What is also true is that if the reporting holds, more people learn this week that their jobs are gone. Most of them work in roles nobody outside the company could name. HR. Product. Tech. Operations.
November is when the full year becomes visible.
Reporting from Matthew Belloni at Puck News, based on unnamed sources. Disney has not confirmed the cuts and declined to comment.
