Recently, The Walt Disney Company announced that its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) standards are changing.
©Disney | Walt Disney Company Headquarters
The company sent a note to employees on February 11th from chief human resources officer Sonia Coleman that outlined how the company’s DEI standards would change. As a result, some of Disney’s staff have commented on their dissent against the changes, according to Deadline.
Deadline pointed out that these changes seem to bend to an anti-DEI policy supported by current U.S. President Donald Trump. The Trump administration has pushed to end DEI initiatives at companies across the country and contributed to efforts to defund and ban these programs in the federal government. A memo sent by Coleman explained that the changes lined up with Disney’s “business goals and company values.”
Walt Disney Studios Lot in Burbank, California
One staff member called out Disney’s DEI changes, stating, “It’s like Chapek on steroids!” This is in reference to the 2022 incident when Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek was criticized when facing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
over the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act. At first, Chapek didn’t comment on the new law, which was then in the process of being voted on, but then came out against it after employee outrage and pushback. This resulted in a series of events that led to lawsuits and the dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek ©Disney
This walkback of DEI standards at the company sparked new comments from Disney employees. An insider asked, “What’s next? Where do we go from here? What do we stand for now, keeping MAGA happy?” Then they added, “This is not what I expected from Bob — I thought he had our back,” according to Deadline.
CEO Bob Iger ©Disney
Another Disney staff member said they were embarassed over the public apology and the $15 million Disney paid to Trump’s presidential foundation and museum as part of a settlement in the Trump’s defamation lawsuit against ABC. Other employees cited the removal of a transgender storyline from an upcoming Pixar series on Disney+, Win or Lose.
©Pixar
Deadline reports that many Disney insiders are frustrated that the company seems more concerned with winning over conservatives rather than taking a stand on issues. When Iger was previously CEO of Disney, he canceled a highly-rated TV series, Roseanne, after its star made racist tweets.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the situation and reporting back anything new that comes up. So stay tuned to DFB for more.
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An insider asked, “What’s next? Where do we go from here? What do we stand for now, keeping MAGA happy?”
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No! What you stand for (or what you SHOULD stand for) is keeping your customer base happy. Your customer base is families and family entertainment, not the fringe LGBTQ+, nor the DEI community. The American population said, quite clearly, in November, that DEI represents the advancement of those who are NOT QUALIFIED. For the last few years, Disney’s “woke” attitude has been soundly rejected by families, as evidenced by poor showing for Disney films.
Disney has finally acknowledged that it’s DEI programs have been bad for business. And it’s not DEI per se that has caused a problem for formerly loyal parents and grandparents. To the contrary, Moana provided wonderful exposure to Polynesian culture, Coco provided wonderful exposure to aspects of Mexican culture and Encanto provided wonderful exposure to Latin American family dynamics. These have been great diversity initiatives.
The issue is Disney’s LGBTQ advocacy, that seemed gratituutous at times, with many families saying (correctly) that your target audience is children and we do not want you, Disney, providing their education on gender identity and sexual orientation. Disney’s approach seemed like indoctrination to some parents and they have been quietly boycotting all things Disney.
I hope Disney is serious about returning to family entertainment vs their position since Iger’s return as CEO of culture warrior. Can Disney regain the trust they have squandered and lost?
BTW, there is zero doubt that Bob Chapek’s original response to the Florida Parental Rights bill was the correct one.
I for one am glad to see Disney trying to get back to the original dream of Walt! Chapek almost drove this company into the ground catering to the DEI and woke agendas, politicizing and forgetting the true meaning of Disney and family values. Male cast members wearing nail polish and dressing up as princesses, LGBTQ apparel at the front of the clothing shops was way over the line!
I agree with Iger that Disney needs to get back to family entertainment and not concede to politics and minority agendas.
There are a lot of conservative people who pay money to go to Disney Parks and movies. They want to be entertained without politics and small minorities’ agendas being pushed on them. Disney would be smart to go back to what Walt saw as a place where parents and their children could have fun together, in a magical place, free from the stresses of the outside world.
If only disney stayed out of politics, it still would have been the happiest place on earth. But when they let people they employ push their woke agenda in the company, normal people will not tolerate the mental instability.
Mr. Iger needs to keep Disney out of as much politics as possible and still stay on the right side of trump and ron. The mess that has come out of Chapek and the fight with ron is not noticed by people that come and enjoy the parks,but for those of us that live here and see more of what ron’s committee has made WDW do is madding. All those employees that started this mess please keep your mouth shut and let Mr, Iger lead Disney thought the next 4 bad years till trump is out of office. Then we’ll be able to see the Disney we all love back in full swing.
I think it hilarious that people are losing their minds over bringing back normalcy. ???
Two cents on Chapek. Based on what I have read in the local Central Florida news, Chapek initially did not want Disney involved publicly in the Parental Rights in Education bill, which forbids schools to instruct on gender identity and sexual orientation for grades K-3. But Chapek was pressured by employees and higher-ups to do something. So Disney made a statement which caused big problems for Disney. About this time, Chapek made an apology video for employees that looked more like a hostage video. Chapek’s original position was correct, to stay out of it. I think this is why Iger and others pushed him out. Chapek did not want to go full-Woke DEI like Iger did, and Iger is now backing away from that after it blew up and harmed business and shareholder value, but is making us think this was all Chapek’s doing.