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Some Disney staffers thought the press release about Bob Iger’s return was a scam, Variety reported.
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Iger, who led Disney from 2005 to 2020, was asked to come back to replace current CEO Bob Chapek.
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Disney stock is down nearly 40% so far this year, though it got a boost on news of Iger’s return.
News of Bob Iger’s return to Disney as CEO was a surprise to many in the media world — including some Disney employees who told Variety they thought the announcement late Sunday was an email scam.
Iger was reinstated as CEO by The Walt Disney Company board this weekend, and staff received the announcement in a press release sent to them late Sunday by the company’s corporate communications team.
The news of Iger’s replacement of current Disney CEO Bob Chapek came around 6:45 p.m. Pacific Time, while some top Disney leaders were at a pre-show reception at Los Angeles’s Dodger Stadium for Elton John’s farewell show, according to Variety.
For months, some of Disney’s top creative and business leaders told the board that they would consider leaving if Chapek stayed as CEO, Insider’s Claire Atkinson reported, citing a senior Disney insider.
The Disney insider said the board realized Chapek wasn’t fit for the role after receiving the complaints, and that he was making decisions without having all of the information, according to the report.
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