Disney’s Bob Iger Says Infusing Woke Messaging Into Films Not ‘Number One Priority’ But ‘Great’ In Certain Situations

Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger attends the Exclusive 100-Minute Sneak Peek of Peter Jackson's "The Beatles: Get Back" at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 18, 2021. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney)

Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger pushed back against criticisms that the company pushed woke messages through its TV shows and movies, insisting the brand was an “entertainment-first company.”

“I’ve been preaching this for a long time at the company before I left and since I came back that our No. 1 goal is to entertain. I think, like, the term woke is thrown around rather liberally, no pun intended in that regard. I think a lot of people don’t even understand really what it means,” Mr. Iger said in an April 4 interview with CNBC. “The bottom line is that infusing messaging as a sort of No. 1 priority in our films and TV shows is not what we’re up to. They need to be entertaining.”

“Where the Disney company can have a positive impact on the world, whether it’s fostering acceptance and understanding of people of all different types, great,” he said. But “generally speaking, we need to be an entertainment-first company. And I’ve worked really hard to do that.”

Mr. Iger said he has been engaging with executives and the creative community while trying to return Disney back “to our roots.”

He is also attempting to ensure that “everybody’s aligned on what our priorities are,” understanding that the company is trying to reach “a very, very diverse audience.”

“And on one hand, in order to do that, the stories you tell have to really reflect the audience that you’re trying to reach. But that audience, because they are so diverse, really first and foremost, they want to be entertained,” he said.

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“And sometimes they can be turned off by certain things. And we just have to be more sensitive to the interests of a broad audience. It’s not easy. You can’t please everybody all the time.”

In the interview, Mr. Iger was asked about billionaire Elon Musk targeting him and his “anti-woke campaign.”

Mr. Iger replied that he ignores it. “People have been coming after me and the company for years and it’s just, I don’t get distracted by those things.”

In a Feb. 7 X post, Mr. Musk posted Disney’s “inclusion standards” for its entertainment content. “An anonymous source just sent me this from Disney. It is mandatory, institutionalized racism and sexism!” he said of the standards.

According to Mr. Musk’s post, Disney’s alleged inclusion standards for on-screen representation required that at least three out of the following five criteria be fulfilled.

• 50 percent or more of the regular and recurring written characters come from “Underrepresented Groups.”
• 50 percent or more of regular and recurring actors come from such groups.
• “Meaningful inclusion” of such groups as secondary or more minor on-screen individuals, including background actors.
• The series premise should have a “meaningful integration” of these groups in overall themes and narratives.
• Episodic storytelling must have “meaningful integration” of these groups in episodic themes and narratives.

Such inclusion of “underrepresented groups” was deemed essential for other aspects of the company as well, including creative leadership, industry access, and career development.

“No wonder most of their content produced over the past several years has sucked. Just trying to navigate the DEI minefield is going to crush the creative process!” Mr. Musk said at the time.

After Disney pulled their advertisements from Mr. Musk’s X platform last year, he called for the company to fire Mr. Iger.

“He should be fired immediately. Walt Disney is turning in his grave over what Bob has done to his company,” Mr. Musk said in a Dec. 7 X post.

Iger’s Board Battle

Mr. Iger’s interview came after he secured a victory in a proxy battle against activist groups looking to get seats on Disney’s executive board.

Disney had announced 12 nominees to the board, including Mr. Iger, while activist investors Trian Fund Management and Blackwells Capital nominated two and three members, respectively. Trian cited Disney’s poor performance to support its case for a change of board directors.

“Disney has woefully underperformed its peers and its potential,” Trian said in a Dec. 14 news release. “Earnings per share (EPS) in the most recent fiscal year were lower than the EPS generated by Disney a decade ago and were over 50 percent lower than peak EPS despite over $100 billion of capital invested.”

“Margins in both Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer business and its consolidated media operations significantly lag peers despite Disney having scale and superior IP. For shareholders, this subpar performance has destroyed value.”

Trian pushed its co-founder Nelson Peltz for a Disney board post. In a memo, Mr. Peltz said Disney movies have been underperforming at the box office lately and that he wants to “restore the magic” at the company.

Mr. Peltz stated that political differences with Mr. Iger made him seek a board post, especially the company’s purported woke agenda pushed through movies like Black Panther and The Marvels. He questioned the need for a movie with an all-female cast when a film with both genders could be made.

During the shareholder vote, Disney’s nominees defeated candidates put forward by Trian and Blackwells. Following the vote results, Trian expressed disappointment at the loss.

“We are proud of the impact we have had in refocusing this company on value creation and good governance … We will be watching the company’s performance and be focusing on its continued success,” it said in a statement.