Disney CEO’s Firing Echoes a Long History of Succession Woes

Board renewed troubled CEO’s contract just five months ago
Iger postponed retirement four times, driving successors away

Disney Brings Back Bob Iger as CEO as Chapek Exits

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By Christopher Palmeri and Gerry Smith

November 22, 2022 at 2:39 PM UTC

Updated on

November 23, 2022 at 5:33 PM UTC

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The stock was in free fall when Walt Disney Co.’s board said Bob Chapek was “the right leader at the right time.” Five months later, the same board showed him the door.

The unexpected ousting of Chapek on Sunday, and the rehiring of Disney’s former CEO Bob Iger, is the latest decision to prove the board of the world’s largest entertainment company hasn’t mastered the art of succession.