UPDATED with video: In response to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ attacks on The Walt Disney Co. during his presidential campaign, CEO Bob Iger addressed one of the governor’s accusations. DeSantis claimed that Disney was promoting the “sexualization of our children.” Iger dismissed this claim, stating, “The notion that Disney is in any way sexualizing our children quite frankly is preposterous and inaccurate.” He made these comments in an interview with CNBC’s David Faber from Sun Valley, ID.
DeSantis has primarily targeted Disney’s opposition to a parental rights bill, which critics have dubbed the “don’t say gay” bill. This disagreement has led to a standoff and a federal court lawsuit. DeSantis has also labeled Disney as a “woke corporation” and claimed that the company is promoting sexualized content for young children, according to The New York Times.
While Iger expressed his desire to keep Disney out of any culture wars, DeSantis is likely to continue his attacks. These attacks help bolster DeSantis’ image as he positions himself to the right of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. A DeSantis SuperPAC has even incorporated these attacks into TV ads.
During the CNBC interview, Faber questioned Iger about a Neo-Nazi demonstration that took place outside of Walt Disney World in June. Iger found the incident horrifying and expressed concern over the encouragement of intolerance and hate, which could potentially lead to dangerous actions. He stated, “So it is concerning to me.”
Disney filed a lawsuit against DeSantis in April, alleging that his decision to strip the company of control over a special district covering its Florida theme parks was an act of retaliation for their opposition to the “don’t say gay” bill. The lawsuit also named the board members appointed by DeSantis to oversee the special district, replacing those aligned with Disney. Iger commented, “We are concerned that he has decided to retaliate against the company for a position the company took on pending legislation in that state. And frankly, the company was within its right, even though I’m not sure it was handled very well, it was within its right to speak out on an issue, a constitutionally protected right to free speech, and to retaliate against the company in a way that could be harmful to the business was not something we could sit back and tolerate.”
