In a shocking turn of events, Peter Rice has been ousted as head of TV content for Disney, to be replaced by his top lieutenant, Dana Walden.
The move enhances Walden’s stature as one of the most powerful and prominent executives in the content business. Within Disney, it elevates Walden over her longtime peer John Landgraf of FX Networks. Walden’s purview includes ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content and Onyx Collective. She will now report directly to Chapek.
“Dana is a dynamic, collaborative leader and cultural force who in just three years has transformed our television business into a content powerhouse that consistently delivers the entertainment audiences crave,” Chapek said. “Her well-earned reputation for championing creative talent and developing programming that truly captures the cultural zeitgeist has resulted in hit after hit, from ABC’s ‘Abbott Elementary’ and Onyx Collective’s Academy Award-winning ‘Summer of Soul,’ to Hulu Originals like ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ ‘Dopesick,’ ‘The Dropout’ and ‘The Kardashians.’ She and Peter have worked closely together for years to create the best programming in the industry, and I can think of no one better than Dana to lead Disney General Entertainment to even greater heights”
Susan Arnold, chairman of the The Walt Disney Company, also released a statement, writing, “The strength of The Walt Disney Company’s businesses coming out of the pandemic is a testament to Bob’s leadership and vision for the company’s future. In this important time of business growth and transformation, we are committed to keeping Disney on the successful path it is on today, and Bob and his leadership team have the support and confidence of the Board.”
Rice, who served as chairman of general entertainment content, came to Disney with the acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, as did Walden. His firing comes as a shock to Disney insiders and the entertainment community.
Sources close to the situation said the decision came down Wednesday from Chapek and caught virtually everyone on the Burbank lot by surprise. Multiple sources say the decision was entirely business and strategy-related and had nothing to do with any personal behavior on Rice’s part.
“This is all business,” said a source familiar with the situation. “Peter was blindsided.”
More to come