Bob Iger Turns Disney Into Politics, Praises DEI In Newly Released Video

It's no secret that The Walt Disney Company's turn into left-wing politics has hurt its bottom line. Even current CEO Bob Iger has acknowledged that Disney needs to turn down discussions over the company's political orientation in order to avoid losing customers. 

But a newly unearthed video from journalist Christopher Rufo shows that Iger had a much bigger hand in making Disney a political company than he'd previously let on. Including praising the Disney/Marvel "Black Panther" film as part of "diversity and inclusion" efforts.

"We've tended to shy away from politics, and in doing so, I think we've shied away from talking about issues that aren't political at all," Iger said. "Like the issues that we're talking about today." 

"Maybe it looks like we're taking a stand, well in reality we should be taking a stand." Iger continued, "We have to be less cautious" about discussing topics that could be divisive and political. According to Iger, commenting on January 6th "isn't political at all," and because he says that "we know" it was "rooted" in "hatred" and "intolerance," Disney "should feel free to comment about that without retribution."

He went on to praise Disney's efforts at putting "diversity and inclusion on screen."

"i'm very proud of a lot of the work we've done in terms of diversity and inclusion on screen, when we did ‘Coco’ for instance at Pixar, a great example of that, or Tiana, or of course ‘Black Panther’ is one of the greatest examples of that," Iger said. "Wow, we did Black Panther, how great are we?"

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 24:  Disney CEO Robert Iger visits FOX Business Network's "Markets Now" at FOX Studios on September 24, 2013 in New York City.  (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Bob Iger Exemplifies Everything Wrong With Modern Disney

Iger's private comments show why Disney's put itself in the mess it's in. 

To him, whatever his interpretation of the current events of the day is, is inherently not political. Because he thinks them. It's become a hallmark of the far left, especially corporate liberals like Iger. His opinions are factual, inarguable, and unbiased. And if you disagree, it's "retribution." 

For a family entertainment company, sharing the personal political views of its chairman or CEO is nonsensical. What does commenting on January 6th have to do with Disneyland, or the Disney+ streaming service, or the latest Pixar release? Why is it Disney's place, as a company, to comment on current events at all? 

Elon Musk shares his personal opinion on X, but he doesn't issue Tesla press releases on things like border security or COVID policy. Iger simply assumes that his views must be shared by all right-thinking people, and because he is right-thinking, his views are not political. It's absurd, ignorant, naive and inexcusable. And that mindset pushed former CEO Bob Chapek into picking a fight with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; a fight that the company has comprehensively lost.

READ: Ron DeSantis Signs Bill To End Disney's 'Corporate Kingdom' In Latest Chapter Of Florida Feud

DEI Comes Before Good Storytelling

His comments on "Black Panther" and "Coco" reveal yet another problem with Disney's current strategy: an obsession with diversity for diversity's sake.

"Coco" was a successful film, because it was good. It's an enjoyable film with relatable themes about family and ancestry and good music. It just so happened to focus on a Mexican family. "Black Panther" was based on a relatively popular existing comic, and was executed well, with strong word of mouth. It just so happened to be about a black superhero.

But over the past few years, Disney has churned out low-quality, poorly reviewed and mostly ignored films so it can keep patting itself on the back for a job well inclusively done. And it's gotten killed at the box office. "Lightyear" had a gay couple, "Strange World" marketing focused on a "biracial," "openly gay" main character. "Elemental" featured a "non-binary" character. 

All were massive flops. Because they were bad movies aimed at pleasing a political audience, not telling quality stories.

Iger admits he signed off on movie releases because it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. And it's clearly something the company has continued doing in the years since "Black Panther" and "Coco." Sure enough, their box office fortunes have declined as their obsession with DEI has grown.