former disney CEO Bob Chapek said Monday that during his short tenure as head of the House of Mouse, he expressed concerns about then-executive director Bob Iger to the company’s board “on a weekly basis.”
Mr. Chapek has remained mum about his firing from a major media company nearly four years ago, but he opened up about his experience in a new revealing memoir, “Beyond the Walls: 30 Years in the Happiest Place on Earth,” and in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Chapek, the former head of Disney’s theme parks and experiences division, was tapped to take the helm of the company in 2020, weeks before the coronavirus pandemic shut down movie theaters and amusement parks around the world. While Chapek worked to overcome these challenges, Iger remained with the company to run Disney’s content efforts, including Disney+.
But the Eiger gradually began to regain control, Chapek said. The ensuing power struggle was detailed in a 2023 CNBC report.
“When I started hearing stories about the lunches and dinners where he was messing with me, the same bullet points, the same stories two or three times in the same week, I thought, ‘There’s a problem,'” Chapek told CNBC.
When he brought his concerns about Iger to the Disney board, he said, “They said, ‘He’s going to be gone in two years. It’s okay. Bob will be Bob.'”
But nearly three years after being named CEO, Chapek was fired and replaced by Iger, who returned to the role until March 2026.
“It would be great if he could serve as a manager in my new role, just like any other CEO,” Chapek said. “It would have been different if he was neutral, but I thought it was incredible that he would actually actively oppose me.”
