Michael Eisner Speaks on Disney vs. DeSantis Feud

The dispute between Disney and DeSantis has been the subject of media attention for a long time now. What started as a disagreement between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company when then Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill soon escalated massively. In ostensible retaliation for Disney speaking out, Governor Ron DeSantis issued a threat to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District board; he replaced it with his special, hand-picked Central Florida Tourism District board. The intent was to take away the self-governing status that Disney and Walt Disney World Resort in particular, enjoyed.

However, Disney, through a strategic and ingenious maneuver—the King Charles clause, side-stepped DeSantis and his board’s power grab and retained their autonomy; a move that did not go down well with the latter. The clause, in turn, prompted the CTOFD board to void the agreement, and as a consequence, Walt Disney World filed a lawsuit against Governor DeSantis, and the newly appointed board retaliated once more by suing Disney.

Fraught though this story has been, it’s one that has had numerous back-and-forths and has been dragging on for over a year now.

But stepping away from the feud for just one moment, there’s another subject of interest at hand, and that is the one of Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Iger was at the helm of Disney for 15 years before he stepped down in 2020. Now that he’s back, the renowned and innovative CEO will have spent 17 years leading Disney by the time he steps down. For the longest time, Iger’s tenure as the chief executive of the Walt Disney Company was characterized by his acquisitions for Disney and his foresight in leading the company.

Now, one wonders whether this feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (and GOP presidential hopeful) will be what we all remember Bob Iger for.

As The Washington Post reported, Michael Eisner, Iger’s predecessor, shared on the matter that “In addition to overseeing Disney’s transformation into a modern media titan, Iger may end up being known ‘for putting DeSantis in his place.'”

Eisner clarified that while Disney has often stayed away from political matters, there are times when the company has to take a stand. “I think he is stepping up to help Disney clean up a mess that’s been created by a bully,” Eisner said of Iger. “I think he’s decided this is important beyond Disney.”

Iger himself spoke on the fight with Florida and accused the Florida Governor of being “anti-Florida” and “anti-business.” One thing’s for certain. No matter how this fight turns out, Bob Iger can add “standing up to a Governor” as one of the decisions he will forever be remembered for.