It has been a rough 14 months for The Walt Disney Company. The beloved company has been locked in a heated battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The issue began when then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill. From there, things have devolved into DeSantis targeting Disney with new legislation. In turn, Disney has filed a lawsuit against the Governor. Disney is also fighting with the board hand-picked by DeSantis to oversee the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
While Disney has never been a purely apolitical company, this fight with the governor has put them in an unfavorable spotlight with many. Mainly those who identify as members of the Republican Party. A recent Axios Harris poll revealed that only 21% of Republicans had a positive view of Disney. 42% of Republicans said that, over the past year, their opinion of Disney has grown more negative. Less than half of the polled Republicans felt that Disney was the family-oriented company they claim to be. Disney’s overall reputation score dropped them 12 spots.
However, Disney’s reputation is not the only thing that changed with the Axios Harris Poll. The poll also revealed that The Walt Disney Company is now the fifth most “Politically Polarized” company in the country. Here’s how the rankings went.
- Trump Organization
- Fox Corporation
- Hobby Lobby
- FTX (a now-bankrupt crypto company)
- The Walt Disney Company
- Pfizer
- Facebook (AKA Meta)
- TikTok
- Chik-Fil-A
Despite its drop in popularity amongst some people, Disney and CEO Bob Iger and continuing to go strong. Disney reported that, in its second fiscal quarter, it made $22 billion in revenue. Also, the company is seeing rave reviews for its controversial new live-action remake, The Little Mermaid. Disneyland Resort will also be hosting its first Disneyland After Dark – Pride Night event on June 13.
Iger has stood by the company’s values and has said that it will continue to represent the world as a whole, not just a specific group of people.
