Some people thought he was a right-winger brought in by Bob Chapek to move the company rightward. In reality, Geoff Morrell was as middle-of-the-road as they come. A former Pentagon spokesperson turned news guy turned Disney exec, Morrell knew how to navigate both the conservative and liberal worlds. No, he wasn’t accustomed to Disney or entertainment, but that was never the point. Bob Chapek had seen that trouble was ahead for Disney in regards to navigating politics and the culture war — he needed someone who could get them through the storm. But when the bellows came from within the company, Chapek changed his approach. He chose to grovel. And once that was done, operational control was forfeited and Geoff Morrell’s attempt to moderate Disney had come to a halt.
The writing was on the wall when Disney brought in Kristina Schake just a month ago. She is a Democrat strategist and bomb-thrower; it was never going to work having her as the person directly below Morrell. Everyone knew it. In a political explosion within and outside the company, it was a bone to throw to the far left inside the company to hire Schake. But just as Ton Newton and the Reimagine Tomorrow program were undermining everything Bob Chapek wanted to accomplish, so too did the hiring of Schake undermine Morrell. And so, with just a month under her belt, Schake is now in charge of all public communications for The Walt Disney Company. An analogy of what this would be like if Disney had hired a conservative is that it would be like Disney putting Karl Rove in charge of their PR. It’s an unfortunate further-politicization of a company originally intended to be ideologically neutral and safe for small children of all backgrounds.
So, Morrell is gone.
In case you think all of this is hyperbolic, take a look at Morrell’s statement as he leaves. I’ll break down what it’s saying in business parlance:
“After three months in this new role, it has become clear to me that for a number of reasons it is not the right fit. After talking this over with [Disney CEO] Bob [Chapek], I have decided to leave the company to pursue other opportunities.” — Geoff Morrell
The blurb “for a number of reasons” is the sticker here. It’s an unnecessary piece added to the quote that is meant to signal that there’s plenty wrong at Disney which is resulting in Geoff Morrell walking away, by his own choosing, from the highest paying salary he’ll likely every receive. A man can only be subverted for so long. Remember that it was he that defended Chapek for staying out of the Florida legislation issue right up until Chapek reversed course… and since then Morrell has been totally silent. Until now.
But if you’re wondering why Geoff Morrell leaving is such a blow to Disney, consider that there are two people replacing him. Schake takes over the communications side for public affairs. She’s been at Disney for one month.
“Fortunately, the strength and experience of our existing leadership team — including relatively new all-star hires — means there is no shortage of talent to guide our reputation-driving functions,” Mr. Chapek said in an email to senior Disney managers on Friday regarding Mr. Morrell’s departure.
The other person Disney is bringing in to replace Mr. Morrell is a no-name individual hired, again, just a month ago. That means there is literally now nobody to help Disney negotiate with Florida, because Morrell was the only person with the conservative connections to try to calm the waters. There is no way in this world that Chapek can convince DeSantis to ease up on Disney World with a Democrat strategist leading talks. There’s no way. And the loss of Morrell further cements inside the company that the organization is hostile to not just conservatives, but moderates, which is what Morrell is. Sources within the company say that it very much feels like Chapek has lost operational control of the company. He is a CEO in title only.
Let it sink in: at a time when Disney face a crisis over Disney World like never before, their best chance to resolve the issue just walked out the door. The mainstream news may try to spin it, but there’s no other way to rationally look at the situation.
The real losers here are the shareholders. If rumors hold true, the next six months could be very rough for The Walt Disney Company and there seems to be no way to right the ship near-term except through financial pain. Even then, Disney’s best days may be closer to behind them than they are ahead of them. There is no path towards moderating the company and there is no good solution to making money from consumers of all political persuasions if Disney continues moving out of the middle. When Buzz Lightyear is getting more buzz about a lesbian kiss than for anything else about the movie, you’re selling a space ranger children’s movie in the wrong way.
But what do I know, I’ve just been calling this for years now?
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