The Walt Disney Company has been engaged in a battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for quite some time now.
Disney issued a response to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill (what critics called “Don’t Say Gay”) which DeSantis criticized, and things really haven’t stopped since then. From major changes and lawsuits involving the Reedy Creek Improvement District (now Central Florida Tourism Oversight District) to the passage of a bill that requires state inspections of the Disney World monorail and other threatened actions, it’s been a lot to keep up with. Some of the biggest accusations that have hit Disney (from DeSantis and others) are that they have a “woke agenda” or are “sexualizing” children, and now Disney CEO Bob Iger has responded to those claims.
In July, Disney CEO Bob Iger participated in an interview with CNBC’s David Faber. During that interview, Iger addressed a number of things including park attendance at Disney World, ESPN, the future of Disney’s linear networks, and more.
But on top of that, Iger was asked about the accusations that have been made against Disney that they’re “sexualizing” children. And he had quite a bit to say.
During the interview, Faber recited a quote from DeSantis where the Florida Governor said “We put the Company on a pedestal, but they’ve really embraced the idea of getting these sexualized content in the program line that I’m not willing to cross.”
Yahoo also has some other quotes from DeSantis regarding Disney and sexualized content. In one article, they note that accusations of Disney trying to “sexualize children” has become a regular talking point for DeSantis. He was quoted as having said, “It is wrong to sexualize children, it’s wrong to put it in your programming, and it’s wrong to try to force that in our schools.”
Faber asked Iger how he responds to that.
Iger said that publicly, so far, Disney has said that they are “concerned that [DeSantis] has decided to retaliate” against the Company about the position Disney took on pending legislation — the Florida Parental Rights in Education Bill. Iger said that Disney was within its right to make a statement against the Bill, even though he’s “not sure” if the situation was handled very well (this could be due to the fact that initially, then-CEO Bob Chapek refused to make an official statement and only later changed his mind, which caused some turmoil).
Still, Iger said that Disney was within its right — a “constitutionally protected right of free speech” — to speak up on this issue. That claim has essentially formed the basis of Disney’s federal lawsuit against DeSantis and others that was filed in Florida.
Iger said that Disney couldn’t sit back and “tolerate” DeSantis’ actions in retaliating against the Company in a way that could be hurtful to the business, which is why that lawsuit was filed.
In terms of other issues, Iger said the last thing he wants is for Disney to be drawn into any “culture wars.” He noted that Disney has operated for almost 100 years making products that they’re proud of and that he jokingly says Disney is really there to “manufacture fun.”
Faber said that Iger then can’t be happy when there are “literally Nazis” standing outside the front gates of the park. This appears to be a reference to a situation that happened earlier in 2023 where there were individuals waving Nazi flags outside of Walt Disney World and a sign featuring DeSantis was also on display.
Iger responded by saying, “That was horrifying, quite frankly.”
Nazis outside of Walt Disney World right now — absolutely disgusting. pic.twitter.com/WeXtRi3OSL
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) June 10, 2023
So what about the claim that Disney is sexualizing children? Well, on that specifically Iger said, “The notion that Disney is in any way sexualizing children quite frankly is preposterous and inaccurate.”
Faber followed up by asking whether Iger feels like he needs to respond to the situation in a different way since these accusations just keep “going on.” Iger said that Disney is going to “keep doing what we do best.”
He also said that they will be “mindful of the environment,” and said Disney is sensitive to the interest and needs of the “great audiences that [they] are seeking to attract globally” and Disney will continue to do that.
That seems to be similar to a comment Iger made about accusations of a “woke agenda” during a shareholder meeting held earlier in 2023. At that meeting, Iger said that Disney prides itself on being “accessible to all people.”
But Iger acknowledged claims that Disney has become agenda-driven. He said that he’s sensitive to that and that content at Disney “should not be agenda driven. It should be entertainment-driven.”
He noted that Disney is committed to telling stories that reflect the world around us and “foster greater understanding, greater perspective, greater acceptance of all people,” but he also acknowledged that parents have “different levels of comfort with the content that is delivered to their children.” And he said he wants parents to trust the content Disney creates.
Things with DeSantis and Disney are still very much up in the air. There is a federal lawsuit filed by Disney pending, as well as a state lawsuit filed by the new Board of Supervisors for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Plus, there are actions taking place within the District and elsewhere that continue to bring the situation to the forefront of certain conversations.
How this will all play out in the end remains to be seen, but we will share all of the latest updates with you. Check back with us for all the Disney news.
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Thank goodness we have a sensible CEO who actually understands and embraces the true meaning of the word “woke” and not the bastardized definition that certain culture warriors are floating. I’m not in step with his perspective on the strike, but I tend to agree with him on most other things.
I’ve got some horrible news for anyone who thinks that because LGBTQ+ people exist, they are out to groom your kids. If that is the case, build a bunker under your house and never leave it. Because in the course of your life you will encounter lots and lots of them. Most of the time you won’t know. Just like they won’t know by walking by you at WDW what a bigot you are. And if they discover that, guess what? Their world won’t come to an end. They are used to people like you. And they will just shake their head and go about their business. So if Disney bothers you by welcoming ‘them’, better stay out of your local mall, movie theatre, sporting venue, grocery store, and your neighborhood . Maybe if you got to know them, you wouldn’t be so frightened by them and find out they are pretty nice people. Just trying to eke out an existence with as much happiness as possible. Just like you are.
as a child, teenager, adult, and visiting walt disney world with other family members throughout the years, i never once thought or heard from family members the mention of sexual thoughts. we were having so much fun and making memories and seeing all the characters we grew up with watching on television, parades, live entertainment so much fun and excitement. if anyone is thinking those kinds of thoughts they are truly missing out on walt disney’s vision for families as he said to all who comes to this happy place welcome.
What do you think WOKE is up to !!