LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek is speaking out in a new book about what he describes as a costly legal and public relations dispute with Governor Ron DeSantis over Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Throughout the pages of “Behind the Castle Walls,” Chapek accuses his predecessor, Bob Iger, of undermining him after Chapek was named chief executive in February 2020.
Iger returned to Disney as CEO following Chapek’s ouster nearly 33 months later.
[RELATED: Chapek exits, Disney announces Bob Iger to return as CEO]
Chapek, who began leading Disney in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, writes in his book that he initially had a good relationship with DeSantis while working with the governor to reopen Disney’s Florida theme parks.
But Chapek said that changed in early 2022 as Florida lawmakers advanced legislation that would prohibit public schools from teaching or discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
“(As) CEO, I initially chose not to take a public position that would pull us into the fray,” Chapek writes in a chapter of his book titled “Don’t Say Gay — and the Tweet Heard ‘Round the World.”
Iger, however, did take a position — retweeting a statement from President Joe Biden that read, “I’m with the president on this! If passed, this bill will put vulnerable, young LGBTQ people in jeopardy.”
I'm with the President on this! If passed, this bill will put vulnerable, young LGBTQ people in jeopardy. https://t.co/fJZBzre4yM
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) February 25, 2022
“That tweet made my job all the harder getting the Florida legislature to soften the bill,” Chapek writes. “Disney was a powerful company that had enjoyed strong working relationships with the Florida legislature. But this wasn’t about business anymore – it was about culture, power, and I believe, the future presidential aspirations of Ron DeSantis.”
Chapek originally sent an email to Disney cast members stating the company would not publicly denounce the bill.
Soon after, demonstrators began protesting outside the gates of Walt Disney World.
While Chapek claims most of the protesters were outside political groups — not Disney employees — he says public pressure ultimately forced the company to change course.
“I called Gov. DeSantis this morning to express our disappointment and concern that if legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families,” Chapek said during the company’s March 2022 annual shareholder meeting that year.
That call, according to Chapek, prompted DeSantis to label Disney a “woke corporation” and sparked legislation that stripped Disney’s control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special tax district that provided government services at Walt Disney World.
[RELATED: Reedy Creek Fire Department officially renamed]
“It was a move designed to inflict punishment and seize on political opportunism,” Chapek writes.
According to Chapek, Iger receded into the background and remained silent as the ensuing legal battle cost Disney “tens of millions” in legal fees and “untold damage” in public relations.
