Sunday 11 September 2022 03:52 PM Disney CEO Bob Chapek breaks silence on apologizing to staff over Florida's ... trends now
Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke for the first time about his response to Florida's Don't Say Gay bill since apologizing to staff for not speaking out against the controversial legislation last spring.
Chapek said he initially chose to remain quiet about the bill because he wanted to balance the desires of Disney's employees and its customers, and hoped to keep the media giant out of the political controversy the bill sparked.
'What we try to do is be everything to everybody,' Chapek told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview, 'That tends to be very difficult because we’re The Walt Disney Company.'
'We certainly don’t want to get caught up in any political subterfuge, but at the same time we also realize that we want to represent a brighter tomorrow for families of all types, regardless of how they define themselves,' he said.
Chapek landed in hot water last spring when he took no public stance on the Don't Say Gay bill, which barred schools from discussing sexuality or gender with children between kindergarten and third grade.
According to an internal memo circulated at the time, Chapek felt the company could better advocate for inclusivity through its content and by working with legislators behind the scenes.
The memo's revelations were met with outrage by Disney staff, who called Chapek's decision weak and disappointing. Chapek later apologized in March, publicly decried the bill, announced Disney had paused all its political donations within Florida.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek said he initially chose not to speak out against Florida's Don't Say Gay bill to balance the needs of customers and employees
Chapek landed in hot water last spring when he took no public stance on Ron DeSantis' Don't Say Gay bill, which barred schools from discussing sexuality or gender with children between kindergarten and third grade
Asked whether he had won back the staff's trust since the fray last spring, Chapek explained the complex situation he faced when the bill began to gain momentum.
'These are complex social issues where we absolutely, positively want to represent the needs and the expectations of our cast members,' he said, 'But we also realize that sometimes in such a divided world, there’s not alignment between what possibly large constituencies of our guest and consumer base are looking for.'
'When you’re a lightning rod for clicks and for political podium speeches, the essence of our brand can be misappropriated or misused to try to fit the needs of any one particular group’s agenda.'
Chapek explained he wanted
