Disney’s Fired C.E.O. Returns to Settle Scores With Bob Iger, tell me about this news in (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/business/media/disney-bob-chapek-bob-iger.html)

The reporting detailing the bitter fallout between Bob Chapek and Bob Iger offers an inside look at one of corporate America’s most dramatic succession battles, exposing how Chapek felt sidelined, undermined, and ultimately ousted from The Walt Disney Company.

When Bob Iger stepped down as CEO in February 2020 and named Chapek his successor, Iger remained executive chairman. Almost immediately, tensions flared:

• Refusal to Cede Control: Iger maintained the primary CEO executive office and kept control over creative decisions, creating confusion over who was actually running the company.

• Public Friction During COVID-19: When the pandemic forced park closures, Iger publicly suggested in media interviews that he was stepping back in to guide the company through the crisis. Chapek was furious, viewing the comments as an emasculation of his authority, telling Iger he did not need a savior.

• Internal Clashes: The two clashed over company reorganization, particularly Chapek’s creation of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution (DMED)which stripped traditional creative chiefs of budgeting poweras well as the company’s handling of Florida’s controversial parental rights legislation.

Throughout 2022, Chapek felt increasingly isolated as Iger stayed in close contact with board members and senior executives who harbored dissatisfaction. Following disappointing quarterly earnings and massive streaming losses:

• Key lieutenants, including Disney’s former CFO Christine McCarthy, approached the board to express a lack of confidence in Chapek’s leadership.

• In November 2022, Board Chair Susan Arnold contacted Chapek directly to inform him that he was terminated effective immediately, offering no opportunity to negotiate a graceful resignation.

• That same evening, Disney announced the sudden return of Bob Iger as CEO.

In recounting the aftermath:

• Chapek revealed that he consulted powerhouse Hollywood litigator Bryan Freedman to explore legal action against Disney and Iger, alleging intentional interference that prevented him from performing his duties as chief executive.

• Despite believing he had grounds for a substantial claim, Chapek decided against filing a lawsuit, citing his desire not to damage the company and noting that his children and grandchildren were a lifelong Disney family.

• The account portrays his two years at the helm as an impossible tenure marked by internal sabotage, executive betrayal, and the lingering shadow of an iconic predecessor who never truly intended to let go.