Bob Iger Just Learned a Hard Lesson

(Bloomberg view) -Jimmy Kimmel himself, the comedian’s return to TV late at night on Tuesday night will win or lose the only person Walt Disney Co.

Ultimately, Iger had called Kimmel side by side – an unthinkable decision when he returned to Disney for a second run three years ago.

Since then, Iger has turned into a man’s surrender from the Open Open CEO. In this period, most of the corporate America is a narrative publication. The CEOs lined up to kiss the ring and quietly complain to the White House, as during the first rule of President Donald Trump.

But now Iger’s decision to restore Kimmel in the face of enormous political pressure is a sign that the narrative has changed again – that companies realize that they should find the red lines and push against the administration. This should not be confused by rediscovering the moral high ground for Disney or IGER; Instead, it realizes that the reference can come at a higher price than pushing back.

During his first run as CEO, Iger came to the fore as part of his personal brand. It was part of a group of business leaders who criticized the travel ban on Trump’s majority countries. A Las Vegas called on to take action from politicians after his mass shooting. After the Trump administration withdrew from the climate agreements, the President left the President’s advisory council as a “issue of principle ..

Even after he resigned as CEO, Iger continued to speak and sewed it as a kind of leader as soon as he demanded the seeds for his return. When Sandapan’s successor Bob Chapek remained silent in Florida’s so -called Don’t Gay Bill, Iger tweeted his opposition and told CNN: “I think you should do the right one and don’t worry about the potential recoil.” He said.

And after he returned to work, he fought against Florida Governor Ron Desantis, who made Disney one of the first institutional goals he called alert anti-era. Iger said Desantis’ company, “not only anti -business, but anti -Florida” efforts to punish. The company positioned the case as a matter of free speech.

As Trump took office for the second time, he seemed to have forgotten how he would deal with a bully. Even Trump gave the company’s milk money before demanding. He reduced Disney’s variable efforts and changed his content, invested a transsexual story from a show, and some critics recovered what he said was a controversial snow -white re -construction. And most importantly, Disney said in December that Trump would donate $ 15 million to the Presidential Foundation or Museum to file an insult against the ABC network. Nevertheless, despite all the privileges, the Federal Communication Commission sent Disney a letter to Disney that he was investigating the company and that ABC was “encouraging the opposite forms of DEI”.

When Kimmel backlash started, Iger had to know that soothing is not useful – the castle poles will only continue to change. This time, what was different was the secretion of the people on Disney’s surrender: the demonstrators gathered outside Disney’s headquarters; Consumers canceled Disney accounts; 400 celebrities, including Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, signed an open letter from Aclu that protested the decision; Barack Obama sent his concerns to X; Former Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, “Where did the whole leadership go?” He asked. The reaction has changed IGER’s account: the company’s protection requires pushing back instead of being silent.

Despite Kimmel’s return, nightmare is far from Disney. President Trump threatened to re -sue ABC by showing his previous victory against the Agha. Nexstar Media Group Inc. and Sinclair Inc., the show continues to boycott.

At the end of 2026, IGER, whose contract ended, returned to Disney to save the company and save his legacy. It will have a long way to determine how it will be partially through a confusion that is partly from its own construction.

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This column reflects the author’s personal views and does not reflect the opinion of the Editorial Board or Bloomberg LP and owners.

Beth Kowitt is a Bloomberg vision columnist covering Corporate America. He was a senior writer and editor at Fortune Magazine.

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