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Disney Whistleblower Allegedly Files Official Complaint With The SEC: Why That’s Strange

September 22, 2024  ·
  W. D. W. Pro
Zootopia

Jenny Slate as Bellwether in Zootopia (2016), Walt Disney Animation Studios

Previously, we’ve covered an anonymous Disney whistleblower who has alleged that The Walt Disney Company coordinated with the Harris campaign in order to gain significant advantage in the ABC presidential debate. Now, things are getting a little bizarre…

Vice President Kamala Harris takes her official portrait Thursday, March 4, 2021, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

In what appears to be a coordinated communication effort between a number of conservative political activists online, the whistleblower’s allegations have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, a federal agency that oversees corporate activities. That’s strange given inappropriate coordination with political parties would not typically be within the purview of the SEC (as it’s better known). We’ll get into why this is such a twist in just a moment. First, here’s the latest post on X:

READ: Disney’s Likely Next CEO, Dana Walden, Draws Controversy Over Comments and Whistleblower

Remember, some of the reasons we’ve covered this alleged whistleblower have been as follows:

  1. The roadmap of when this whistleblower’s documents would be released has been accurate. We’re still waiting on reported audio files that are said to corroborate the allegations.
  2. The posted affidavit has all the hallmarks of being a legitimate legal document with actual attorney oversight.
  3. The Walt Disney Company’s direct response to the allegations has been somewhat nebulous and lacking in specificity. This is perhaps the biggest reason we’ve decided to cover the story.

However, there are some peculiarities with the latest things we’re seeing. The idea that an anonymous source is sharing potentially career-ending information with a variety of very public figures is unusual. Plus, filing with the SEC would mean that the whistleblower is almost certainly claiming that this alleged collusion is a betrayal of fiduciary responsibility by The Walt Disney Company. While we’re open to reporting on anything legitimate here, that’s a stretch into a new realm of legal theory that is — at best — an unproven strategy for corporate malfeasance. Filing with the FCC or FEC would be more expected, though those routes are likewise probably a dead end.

HULU ON DISNEY+ CELEBRATION – Some of the biggest stars across The Walt Disney Company celebrate the official launch of Hulu on Disney+ at an exclusive cocktail reception hosted by Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, along with special guest Bob Iger, on Friday evening in Los Angeles. (Disney/Greg Williams)
DANA WALDEN (CO-CHAIRMAN, DISNEY ENTERTAINMENT, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY), ROBERT A. IGER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY), ALAN BERGMAN (CO-CHAIRMAN, DISNEY ENTERTAINMENT, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY)

Another bizarre part of this is that the screenshots show multiple “corroborating” documents attached to the SEC filing. However, the documents are not made visible to the public, not even in redacted form. This leaves us unable to make any sort of judgement as to the validity of these claims.

As a result, until we get to audio files or other evidentiary documents, this story is an extremely enticing tale that needs substance. The response from Disney is still lacking in a huge way, but there will need to be more brought for public scrutiny if this is to materialize in any additional way. The chances of the SEC responding to this complaint any time soon would seem to be as close to zero as one can imagine.

Dana Walden via Variety YouTube

Should the audio files be made publicly available, or any other documents, we’ll continue to cover the story. If Disney faces congressional pressures, we’ll cover the story. Until more substantive information comes our way, we’ll wait to discuss the implications on the world’s largest entertainment company. 

NEXT: Whistleblower Fiasco: U.S. Senator Demands Disney Release All Communications With Kamala Harris Campaign

Author: W. D. W. Pro
Founder, Publisher, CEO WDW Pro is an opinionated commentator on all things Disney and Entertainment. He runs one of the most-viewed pop culture news channels on YouTube with many millions of views every month. First becoming well-known on WDWMagic.com, the author was brought on to work at Pirates and Princesses. Pro has previously released exclusive details on a variety of rumors and leaks before they were made public. Some exclusives have included breaking info on new Epcot attractions, detailing the light saber experience at the Star Wars hotel, reporting a Harrison Ford injury severity before anyone else, revealing Hugh Jackman was coming to the MCU, Storm would be linked with Wakanda and more. WDW Pro has written articles viewed by millions of readers while maintaining an 87% accuracy rating for revealing "insider" information in 2020. In 2021, the author had a better than 90% accuracy on reported leaks and rumors. Pro joined That Park Place on June 22nd, 2021. The author's accolades include being featured on The Daily Wire, cited by Timcast, numerous references by YouTube personalities, as well as having material tweeted by Dr. Jordan Peterson. WDW Pro is honored, and grateful, while hoping to make the world a better place. In 2023, a third party audit found Pro's accuracy for rumors and scoops to be 92.5%. SOCIAL MEDIA: X: http://x.com/wdwpro1 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WDW_Pro EMAIL: wdwpro@thatparkplace.com