Disney CEO Bob Iger was branded an “assassin” by the Mouse House’s former boss Bob Chapek, who griped that he was undermined by Iger as soon as he began his disastrous three-year tenure as CEO — even as his wife accused him of being Iger’s “lap dog,” according to a report.
“I can’t survive another two years of this,” Chapek told his chief of staff just weeks after he was named chief executive in early 2020, noting that Iger is “not going to leave” and that “He’ll be there until he dies,” the New York Times reported over the weekend
Arthur Bochner, Chapek’s former chief of staff, was quoted as saying that Disney corporate offices on the sixth floor at its Burbank, Calif. headquarters was a “snake pit.”
Chapek’s stint as CEO unceremoniously ended in 2022 when his mentor orchestrated a boardroom coup.
According to the report, Chapek realized he was in trouble almost immediately after he was elevated to the top role, particularly in light of the fact that Iger, who stepped down as CEO just before the coronavirus pandemic, was asked to stay on as “creative director” and executive chairman of the board.
According to the Times, Iger, who had more than $100 million in unvested Disney stock options whose value he wanted to maintain, intended for Chapek to handle the more mundane tasks of the job while he maintained overall creative control of the company.
But while Iger wanted Chapek to report to him, Disney’s board members nixed the idea, citing company bylaws which required the CEO to report directly to the board. Eventually, an awkward compromise was reached whereby Chapek was told he had to report both to Iger and the board.
A swift announcement followed, with Disney revealing Chapek was the company’s new CEO while Iger was named executive chairman — a “sudden move shocked and baffled Hollywood,” according to the report.
“Paul McCartney, a close friend of Mr. Iger’s, called him to ask if he was sick,” the report said.
Chapek, meanwhile, quickly realized that Iger was still the de facto boss. He reportedly was irate that Iger failed to include him in discussions with California Gov. Gavin Newsom about keeping Disneyland open during the pandemic.
Iger also overruled Chapek’s decision to furlough more than 90,000 theme park employees at the start of the pandemic, when governments restricted public gatherings due to the spread of the coronavirus.
Chapek was so powerless at the company that his wife told him he was little more than Iger’s “lap dog,” according to the Times.
When then-Times columnist Ben Smith published a piece detailing how Iger “reasserted control” over the company, Chapek was furious, it was reported.
Believing that Iger leaked details to Smith, Chapek, who was referred to in the column as “the new, nominal chief executive,” confronted his mentor by phone, telling him: “You’ve cut my legs out from under me.”
“I’ve never felt worse in my life.”
Iger, in turn, told several people that he had never been treated with more disrespect by anyone in his entire life, according to the Times. The phone call essentially severed the relationship, the newspaper reported.
Chapek also angered board members with several reported missteps.
Safra Catz, the Oracle CEO who recently left Disney’s board, reportedly threatened to have Chapek fired if the company went ahead with the release of the animated film “Strange World,” whose plot revolves around an openly gay teenager.
Chapek was also pilloried by key Disney shareholders such as Abigail Disney, granddaughter of company co-founder Roy Disney, for refusing to sign on to a petition circulated by Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ lobby group, opposing controversial gender identity-related legislation in several states.
When Disney employees lobbied Chapek to reverse course, the CEO agreed, denouncing Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law that barred sexual and gender identity education for young elementary school kids.
But Disney board members thought Chapek went too far in the other direction, according to the Times, leading Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, and its GOP-dominated state legislature into a fight with the company.
Chapek’s stewardship of the company was called into question as Disney saw its stock price plummet as a result of steep losses in its streaming business as well as slowing recovery in its theme parks division.
Iger was eventually re-installed as CEO last year.
The Post has sought comment from Chapek, Disney and Oracle.
