New Report Suggests Bob Chapek Was Set Up To Fail

As the dust settles after Bob Chapek’s ousting, more evidence is coming to light in the aftermath that the controversial CEO was set up to fail.

The Walt Disney Company has seen much upheaval in the last month, between the ousting of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek and the return of his predecessor, current Disney CEO Bob Iger. Iger has been called in to reorganize the company post Chapek’s tenure, including taking steps like letting Kareem Daniel go. But while the beloved current CEO has returned to many happy fans, the waters are murkier when it comes to his relationship with now-former CEO Bob Chapek.

Related: Bob Iger and Bob Chapek Had Tensions From The Start

From secret meetings Iger conducted without Chapek to constantly “micro-managing” the former CEO, it appears as more Disney insiders share behind-the-scenes information that the former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was not only unsupported in his role by Bob Iger but might have even been actively hindered in performing his duties. Recent reports from The Wall Street Journal even indicate that Iger kept an office at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, even after he theoretically left the Walt Disney Company at the end of 2021.

Related: Josh D’Amaro Was Close To Quitting During Chapek’s Tenure

Iger is known to have held strategy-based meetings without Chapek’s knowledge after Chapek succeeded him as Disney’s CEO in February 2020. Though Iger handpicked Chapek to take his role as chief executive officer after nearly 15 years at the helm, he remained as executive chairman to help him find his footing but frequently undermined him.

@RobertIger -The fact is that Bob Chapek's failure is your failure, not his. He was your handpicked successor, so you have nobody to blame for this mess but yourself.#Disney #bobchapek #bobiger #DisneyParks #DisneyPlus

— Nikhil Vaish (@nikhil_vaish) December 21, 2022

Related: Report: Chapek Walking Away From Disney with Over $20 Million

Mr. Iger also reportedly questioned Chapeks’ leadership on multiple counts and bad-mouthed him to other Disney employees, seemingly due to the slight of Mr. Chapek not asking Iger for advice during his tenure. Reportedly, Chapek felt slighted by Iger’s actions as he told friends he believed Iger had an attitude of “They work for me, not for you.”

While this information comes to light, it’s undeniable that Iger’s return has had, at the very least, an initial positive impact, with the Disney stocks prices rising with the announcement of his return. (Of course, it also fell with Avatar: They Way of Water‘s box office performance.)

We at Disney Fanatic will continue to report on all Disney news as it comes to light.