13 Disney Announcements You Missed This Week

Disney just revealed their upcoming television slate at one of their biggest entertainment events of the year: The Upfronts! Upfronts have been a major part of the TV industry since the early 1960s — ironically, the now-Disney-owned ABC pioneered the concept in 1962 — and feature television networks presenting their upcoming fall schedule of renewed and new shows to advertisers looking to set their marketing budget for the next year.

As the television industry has evolved over the years, so have the Upfronts. What were initially smaller-scale presentations have become large-scale affairs featuring multimedia clips, celebrity hosts associated with the networks, and stars of new and returning shows making appearances to create buzz. Disney just held its 2026 Upfront, and here’s everything you might have missed!

The 2026 Upfronts took place in May of 2026, and featured a number of reveals and announcements form across the spectrum of Disney’s entertainment empire, including ABC, Disney+, and ESPN.

Some of the biggest included:

• Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway, who introduced Josh D’Amaro for his first Upfront as CEO.
• The presentation emphasized that in early 2027, Disney will be home to “four of the year’s most significant cultural moments”: the College Football Playoff Championship Game, the GRAMMYs, Super Bowl LXI, and the Oscars, with New Year’s Rockin’ Eve kicking off the year in Times Square.
• A performance from the Savannah Bananas, and the announcement that the Banana Bowl will be airing on Disney+.

• The confirmation that Conan O’Brien will once again host the Academy Awards for the third year in a row. O’Brien was widely praised for his performances in 2025 and 2026.
• When it came to ESPN, presentations focused on the company’s biggest sports properties. Jason Kelce and Laura Rutledge introduced an “all-star lineup” of Super Bowl MVPs, including Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Steve Young, Emmitt Smith, Desmond Howard, Jerry Rice, Hines Ward, Kurt Warner, and Nick Foles, in celebration of Super Bowl LXI airing on ESPN and ABC next year.

• Other sports figures included Inside the NBA hosts Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, along with NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, Lauren Betts, Sarah Strong, and SportsCenter’s Christine Williamson, introducing tennis legend Billie Jean King, who previewed the upcoming 30-for-30 about her life, and College GameDay’s Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban, who unveiled the first two weeks of the 40th season of College GameDay schedule.

• Next, we have the Disney+ announcements, including Sigourney Weaver confirming that Avatar: Fire and Ash will be on Disney+ on June 24th.
• Rosario Dawson shared that the long-awaited second season of the Star Wars series Ahsoka will launch on Disney+ in early 2027.
• Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hiddleston, and Paul Bettany hosted the Marvel portion of the presentation, “celebrating the legacy and future of the MCU.”The highlight was Bettany announcing that VisionQuest — the conclusion of the WandaVision trilogy, which will star the actor as well as feature James Spader’s MCU — will debut on Disney+ on October 14th, 2026.

• FX’s biggest announcement was that Paul Anthony Kelly is joining the 13th installment of FX’s American Horror Story, joining returning stars Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe, Billie Lourd, and Emma Roberts.
• Numerous other stars were on hand to preview several anticipated series coming to Disney’s platforms, including FX’s Cry Wolf starring Brie Larson and Olivia Colman, and Ryan Murphy’s The Shards featuring Kaia Gerber, Igby Rigney, and Homer Gere.
• On the Hulu front, there was the Dan Fogelman-created football family drama, The Land, featuring Christopher Meloni, William H. Macy, and Mandy Moore, the limited series Count My Lies starring Lindsay Lohan, Shailene Woodley, and Kit Harington, and Claire Danes and Ewan McGregor for The Spot.
• Finally, the show ended with embattled ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel and his daughter introducing a performance from former Disney child star, and 14-time GRAMMY nominee/three-time winner Olivia Rodrigo.

Disney used their 2026 Upfront presentation to reaffirm the vast scope of their entertainment offering across various television and streaming platforms. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on these projects as they’re released.

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Which of these are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below.

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