Disney’s Bob Iger On Pulling Ads From X, Suing Ron DeSantis & Feeling “Somewhat Sobered” On Prospects In China

Bob Iger likely wishes 2023 looked a lot more like 2019.

J. Kim Murphy Bob Iger sang for his supper at the end of 2019 — his final full year in his first tenure as the CEO of the Walt Disney Company. The exec’s self-penned performance evaluation was disclosed Tuesday as one of many significant documents in a class action lawsuit that alleges that the company discriminates against female employees and pays them less than their male peers.

Strictly Come Dancing star Bobby Brazier has apparently 'banned' a relative from coming to watch him in the studio because of a feud.The EastEnders actor, 20, who is partnered with professional dancer Dianne Buswell, is competing in the semi-final on Saturday and his dad Jeff Brazier, brother Freddie and step-mum Kate are likely to be watching on in the audience. But, ahead of the show, it's been claimed that Bobby has only had his immediate family supporting him in the studio throughout the series due to a long-running argument between Jeff and his grandmother Jackiey Budden, his late mother Jade Goody's mum. A source told the Sun: "There is a lot of friction between the Brazier side of the family and Jackiey for several long-standing reasons.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board, the group that now oversees a swathe of central Florida where Walt Disney World sits, slammed the Bob Iger-led media giant for almost three hours straight over what its experts called decades of self-dealing outlined in an audit. Members, not surprisingly, voted to approve the report. 

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board, a Ron DeSantis-staffed entity that replaced Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District council, is set to consider a scathing report it commissioned that calls the media giant’s actions during its time in control over the area where Walt Disney World is located “akin to bribery.”

CNN has scheduled a pair of presidential town halls next week, while the Republican National Committee announced that four candidates qualified for the next debate on Wednesday.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Paris Hilton‘s eponymous kitchenware brand has joined a growing list of companies and brands to pull ads from X (formerly Twitter), amid concerns over antisemitic content on the platform. Hilton’s “Be an Icon” campaign, featuring videos and photos of the heiress-turned-entrepreneur posing with the pink-hued kitchen items, were pushed out on X up until last week.

Nicki Minaj has pulled out from today’s (December 4) iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball tour date in Chicago, but will be replaced by Lil Wayne.The rapper announced her withdrawal yesterday (December 3) on X. “Hope it doesn’t make you sad,” she wrote. “I won’t be able to perform [tomorrow] in #Chicago for Jingle Ball.

Disney CEO Bob Iger blames the pandemic effect as part of the reason for the dismal box office results on The Marvels.

UPDATED: Fox News‘ Ron DeSantis–Gavin Newsom debate drew 5.46 million million viewers — 4.75 million in its live telecast and 706,000 for a rebroadcast — giving a ratings bump to Sean Hannity in the time slot.

partly blamed the debacle on a lack of “supervision.” ″‘The Marvels’ was shot during COVID,” Iger, 72, said. “There wasn’t as much supervision on the set, so to speak, where we have executives [that are] really looking over what’s being done day after day after day.” Variety previously reported that the director of “The Marvels,” Nia DaCosta, began another project during postproduction.“If you’re directing a $250 million movie, it’s kind of weird for the director to leave with a few months to go,” a source told the trade.“The Marvels,” the 33rd film in the MCU, had the lowest opening weekend at the box office ever for the franchise, grossing just $47 million domestically.

UPDATE: Sean Hannity was about the wrap up the debate after just over 90 minutes, as scheduled, but when he noted that he had more questions to ask, Gavin Newsom suggested they just go longer.

Disney CEO Bob Iger had plenty to say about the MCU‘s current issues at The New York Times‘ annual BookDeal summit yesterday. But CNN reports that Iger also had a multilayered explanation for why “The Marvels” did so poorly in theaters earlier this month, taking in just $47 million domestically its opening weekend.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor After activist investor Nelson Peltz announced his intention to renew his proxy battle to secure seats on Disney’s board, the company responded by alleging former Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter — who is in league with Peltz’s Trian Fund Management — has a personal grudge against Disney chief Bob Iger. In a statement responding to Trian’s announcement, Disney said that Perlmutter “was terminated from his employment by Disney earlier this year and has voiced his longstanding personal agenda against Disney’s CEO, Robert A.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Disney CEO Bob Iger said at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit (via CNBC) following “The Marvels” flopping at the box office that there was a lack of supervision on the set of the film as a result of the COVID pandemic. The combination of pandemic set restrictions and Disney’s increased output due to the launch of streamer Disney+ made it increasingly difficult for studio executives to oversee the onslaught of new productions.

One of 2023’s biggest stories in the entertainment industry is Disney CEO Bob Iger‘s call to retrofit the swollen release calendar of various IPs, namely the MCU and the “Star Wars” universe. Iger’s reasons? The sheer glut of releases in theaters and on streaming dilutes focus and attention from moviegoers and lowers the overall quality of what Disney creates.

Bob Iger gave another mea culpa for Disney’s tepid box office lately but said the company’s had great theatrical runs unrivaled by other studios and “I think I don’t want to apologize for making sequels.”

Shifting away from sentiments he expressed in an interview last summer that Disney‘s linear TV networks “may not be core” to the company, Disney CEO Bob Iger said they are “not for sale.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Bob Iger, just over one year after returning as Disney‘s CEO following the company’s board firing of previous chief Bob Chapek, said publicly that he was dismayed at the Mouse House’s performance under Chapek’s tenure. Iger, who had selected Chapek, formerly head of Disney’s parks division, to succeed him in February 2020, made the comments Wednesday at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Disney CEO Bob Iger focused on instilling employees with renewed optimism about the Mouse House’s “blessed” and “fortunate” state during a virtual company-wide town hall Tuesday, rather than making any proclamations about the company’s future. The event, moderated by ABC News’ David Muir, was held just over a week after the one-year anniversary of Iger’s return to the helm at Disney (Iger hosted a similar town hall exactly a year ago to the day, upon resuming his post last November) following the surprise ousting of Bob Chapek, and on the heels of Disney reporting its most recent quarterly and full-fiscal-year earnings and taking a stumble at the Thanksgiving holiday box office with new animated film “Wish.” When asked by Muir if coming back to the position of CEO has been more challenging than he had anticipated, Iger, who originally ran Disney for 15 years from 2005-2020, said yes. “I knew that there were myriad challenges that I would face coming back,” Iger said.