Disney CEO Bob Iger Comments on Strikes That Have Brought Hollywood to a Halt

Hollywood has essentially come to a halt due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes, and Disney CEO Bob Iger’s response to the situation has been heavily criticized.

Iger said that the possibility of an actors’ strike (which had not yet been approved when he first spoke) was “disturbing” to him, and he claimed that the writers and actors had some expectations that were “unrealistic.” The backlash against Iger came in swiftly and severely following his comments. So what does Disney have to say about the situation now? We’ve got an update.

On August 9th, 2023, Disney held its earnings call (and released its earnings report) for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023 (Q3 of FY 2023). From that report/call we got a number of updates about the financial status of the Company as a whole, how things are going in the direct-to-consumer division, and more. But we also got some statements from Disney about the writers’ and actors’ strikes.

Disney CEO Bob Iger brought up the ongoing writers strike in the earnings call saying “Nothing is more important to this company than its relationships with the creative community.”

Iger continued saying, “I have a deep respect for all those who are vital to the creative engine. It is my fervent hope that we quickly find solutions.” As we mentioned above, this comes after some controversial comments he made about the strike.

He finished his point by saying he is “personally committed to working to achieve this result.”

The strikes have already impacted Disney in some unique ways. An upcoming Marvel film was impacted by the writers’ strike, the release dates for various Disney movies have been delayed and/or changed, and the situation has even impacted premieres for current Disney films like Haunted Mansion.

According to some reports, some Disney films set to be released in 2023 — including the new Disney animated film Wish — could also be delayed due to the strikes.