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Disney Acknowledges Rachel Zegler Scandal Might Have Hurt Their Business Prospects

disney rachel zegler hurt business
Credit: Disney; Rachel Zegler, Instagram

After many long months of actress Rachel Zegler’s controversy making headlines, the Walt Disney Company has acknowledged the scandal could hurt their business… in the most Disney way.

It’s been a hard year for Disney. From the massive restructuring and reorganization, which included layoffs and job cancelations that affected 7000 people, to the difficulties the Mouse House has seen at the Disney theme parks and at the box office, Disney certainly has a lot on its plate.

"Partners" statue, Cinderella Castle, Disney's Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort

“Partners” statue in front of Cinderella Castle, Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort / Credit: Disney

Related: The Rachel Zegler and Disney’s ‘Snow White’ Controversy: Everything We Know

Disney Acknowledges the Difficulties Lack of “Sufficient Consumer Acceptance” Poses

In its SEC filing, Disney explained, “Generally, our revenues and profitability are adversely impacted when our entertainment offerings and products, as well as our methods to make our offerings and products available to consumers, do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance.

“We face risks relating to misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment, travel and consumer products.” The SEC filing continued. “Further, consumers’ perceptions of our position on matters of public interest, including our efforts to achieve certain of our environmental and social goals, often differ widely and present risks to our reputation and brands.”

What Does This Have to Do With Rachel Zegler?

Well, simply put, Rachel Zegler is not particularly the most popular Disney princess right now. She has irked many Disney fans and earned the ire of many who feel she is entitled and “plays the victim” in all her interactions.

Zegler put her foot in her mouth repeatedly about the Snow White movie and irritated fans when she labeled the iconic Prince as a “stalker” and dismissed the storyline as weird.

While she did apologize, she hasn’t yet earned back the love and respect of fans, and it remains to be seen if Disney’s Snow White is dead in the water before it even had a chance to flourish.

snow white live action first look

A still from the upcoming feature film Snow White based on the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm / Credit: Disney

This said, only time will tell what the future of Snow White holds; come 2025 (after a delay due to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes), we’ll be seeing Gal Gadot (as the Evil Queen), Rachel Zegler and a further incredible cast take to the silver screen for the live-action remake of the Disney classic. The film stars Andrew Burnap as Jonathan (the Prince) and Ansu Kabia as the Hunstman. It features a screenplay from Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson, and Marc Webb directs the movie.

Rachel Zegler was cast in the movie after earning her name for herself in her debut, West Side Story from Steven Spielberg, for which the actress won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress–Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. She also starred in Shazam! Fury of the Gods as Anthea and is in the upcoming film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as Lucy Gray Baird.

Here’s hoping the film surprises us all!

About Priyanka Kumar

Priyanka is a writer, artist, avid reader, and travel enthusiast based in Chicago. In her free time, she is probably walking by the lake, catching up on the latest releases on TV, or spending inordinate amounts of time rewatching Moana, Encanto, and her Disney Channel life-long favorites Zack and Cody wreak havoc on the Tipton.

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