Bob Iger to step down as Disney CEO before the end of 2026: report
Bob Iger may be leaving the Mouse House before his CEO contract expires at the end of the year.
Iger has told “employees” that he plans to step down as CEO and “retire from executive management” before the end of his contract on December 31, 2026. The Wall Street Journal reports this Friday based on anonymous sources. According to the Journal story, Iger has “told people close to him that he is ready to leave the grind of being a CEO” – and that he was “frustrated” by “conflict” at ABC over Jimmy Kimmel’s nearly weeklong suspension in September following the host’s late-night comments about Charlie Kirk’s killer.
Variety has contacted Disney for comment.
Disney’s board has said it expects to announce Iger’s successor “in early 2026.” The board of directors plans to meet next week at Disney’s Burbank headquarters, where they are “expected to vote on who should take the top position,” the Journal reported.
“The appointment of the next CEO will be determined by the full Board of Directors, and we currently expect to announce the appointment of the company’s next CEO in early 2026,” Disney Chairman James Gorman said in Disney’s 2026 proxy statement, filed last week.
The company did not reveal which executives have been shortlisted, but said: “Each internal candidate goes through a rigorous preparation process, including mentorship from Mr. Iger, external coaching and engagement with all directors.”
According to analysts monitoring the situation, the two leading candidates to become Disney’s next CEO are Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, which oversees the company’s parks, cruises and consumer products, and Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, whose purview includes the global streaming business. (For what it’s worth, the online betting markets are heavily in D’Amaro’s favor.)
The WSJ report also states that Iger told several employees that “he would like to spend more time and energy on other things, such as sailing his new and larger superyacht, the Aquarius,” which was delivered to him last summer. In addition, Iger has said he wants to spend more time working with his wife Willow Bay, dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and with Angel City FC, the women’s soccer team in which the couple bought a majority stake two years ago.
After serving as CEO of Disney for 15 years, Iger retired at the end of 2021 and was replaced by then-CEO Bob Chapek. But in November 2022, the board ousted Chapek and brought back Iger as general manager.
In 2025, Iger’s total compensation was $45.8 million, an increase of 11.5%. That included Disney stock awards worth $21 million, $14 million in stock options, a $7.25 million cash bonus and $2.59 million in other compensation (including $1.85 million for security and $568,670 for personal air travel).
Iger is running for re-election to Disney’s board at the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders for a one-year term. The meeting will take place virtually on March 18.
Iger “has an unparalleled knowledge of the company and the creative content it produces, and a deep understanding of driving innovation through technology and connecting with audiences in our markets around the world,” Disney said in the proxy statement.
