Disney executive Dana Walden’s close friendship with former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris may have hurt her chances to succeed Bob Iger as head of the media conglomerate, according to a report.
Sources told Variety that the relationship risked making Disney a target for the Republican Trump administration, with the publication noting the White House has shown no hesitation about fighting powerful media businesses.
Walden’s relationship with Harris, which dates back to the mid-1990s, is rooted in a prior friendship between their husbands, veteran music executive Matt Walden and Hollywood lawyer Doug Emhoff.
Harris has publicly credited the Waldens with introducing her to Emhoff.
Dana Walden has also been a steady financial backer of Harris’s political career — dating back to the latter’s campaigns for San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, US senator and president.
Dana Walden, the co-chair of Disney’s entertainment division that oversees television and streaming, was considered a finalist alongside D’Amaro, the theme parks boss, in the race to replace Iger.
Disney’s board announced this week that it chose D’Amaro, who has been credited with helming the company’s most profitable unit. He will officially step into Iger’s shoes next month, while Walden will be elevated to a new position as chief creative officer.
Another factor that may have played a part in the decision to tap D’Amaro was Walden’s handling of Jimmy Kimmel’s brief suspension in the fall, according to Variety.
Sources told the outlet that the Kimmel saga was widely viewed within the company as a public relations debacle disaster.
A Disney source rejected the account, telling The Post: “That is completely false and just uninformed speculation from people who weren’t involved in the decision.”
“Dana’s expanded remit and long-term role reflect the Board’s confidence in her leadership,” the person added.
Kimmel was suspended after a monologue about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in which the host accused “the MAGA gang” of politicizing the shooting and aligning themselves with the killer.
Kimmel also drew backlash for remarks critics viewed as mocking or minimizing the way Kirk was being memorialized, saying some conservatives were treating him “like a martyr, like Martin Luther King Jr.”
The comments sparked outrage from conservative groups and station owners, leading several ABC affiliates to pull the show.
Within days, Disney suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” amid political pressure and threats of regulatory scrutiny, only to reinstate the program following public backlash and extend Kimmel’s contract.
Walden was credited by Kimmel himself with helping him navigate the fallout and think through the controversy during his suspension.
Meanwhile, Trump has waged an aggressive legal campaign against major media organizations including Disney. He has filed multi-billion-dollar defamation lawsuits during his latest campaign and while in office.
Just a month before the inauguration last year, Disney agreed to pay $15 million to Trump’s library plus $1 million in legal fees after ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos misstated the outcome of the E. Jean Carroll civil verdict on air.
Months before the ABC settlement, CBS’s corporate parent Paramount agreed to a $16 million payment to Trump to settle a claim that “60 Minutes” deceptively edited an interview with Harris in order to make her look more favorable and boost her chances of winning the election.
Trump has also launched multi-billion dollar lawsuits pending against the BBC, the New York Times, the Des Moines Register and the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by The Post’s corporate parent News Corp.
The Post has sought comment from Harris and the White House.
