The Walt Disney Company’s embrace of left-leaning cultural politics seems to have originated with chairman-turned-CEO Bob Iger, who urged the company to “take a stand” on politics in the wake of the January 6th Capitol riot.
In a January 2021 video uncovered by journalist Christopher Rufo, Iger—at the time serving as Disney’s chairman after his first stint as executive—told employees that the time to “shy away from politics” was at an end. Instead, he stressed the need for Disney to involve itself in hot-button issues like January 6th.
“I think we have to be less cautious…about such things and not be concerned,” Iger said in a two-minute clip shared by Rufo. “Like just commenting about what just happened in Washington last week [January 6th], that’s not political at all. We know what we saw was fundamentally wrong, and that it was rooted in hatred, disrespect, contempt, and intolerance. We should feel free as a company to comment about that without retribution.”
EXCLUSIVE: In January 2021, then-Disney chairman Bob Iger told employees he was committing the company to "taking a stand" on politics because of January 6, then praised himself for making Black Panther, which he said was an example of "diversity and inclusion." pic.twitter.com/Rb41540cGW
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 13, 2024
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Iger went on to praise himself and the company for advancing “diversity and inclusion onscreen” with films like Marvel’s “Black Panther” and Pixar’s “Coco.” However, he admitted that the success of these films had led him to become “complacent” and neglect the importance of representation within the company culture.
Shortly after posting this video on Tuesday, Rufo shared an additional clip in which then-CEO Bob Chapek (who Iger would later replace) committed to creating a racial quota for Disney’s charitable giving. Chapek also announced that $1 billion would be spent on “diverse suppliers” from “underserved communities.”
EXCLUSIVE: In 2021, then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that the company would create a racial quota for its charitable giving and spend at least $1 billion on "diverse suppliers," a euphemism for race-based discrimination against white- and Asian-led firms. pic.twitter.com/R7ErkOUabI
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 13, 2024
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Rufo was previously responsible for another series of video leaks in 2022, which exposed Disney executive producer Latoya Raveneau highlighting the company’s “not-so-secret gay agenda” to incorporate politicized content in its programming.
SCOOP: I've obtained video from inside Disney's all-hands meeting about the Florida parental rights bill, in which executive producer Latoya Raveneau says her team has implemented a "not-at-all-secret gay agenda" and is regularly "adding queerness" to children's programming. pic.twitter.com/eJnZMpKIXT
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 29, 2022
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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