Ben Smith Accuses Bob Chapek of Exaggerating Iger Email That Exposed Disney’s Power Struggle
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As Bob Chapek speaks for the first time about his firing at Disney, journalist Ben Smith discusses his involvement in the former CEO’s feud with Bob Iger.
Ben Smith and the Chapek-Iger fight
Bob Iger resigned as CEO of Disney in 2020, naming Bob Chapek as his successor. But within weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic shook the world and Iger, who was still executive chairman of Disney’s board, reportedly took over some CEO duties.
This report came from Smith, who had just arrived at the New York Times. In a recent article, Smith reflected on his article, which drove a wedge between Chapek and Iger.
Shortly after I joined the New York Times in March 2020, a source suggested I write about the fact that Bob Iger, who had just handed over the reins of Disney to Bob Chapek, seemed to have reinvested in the company amid the COVID-19 crisis. Although my title was media columnist, I had never covered Hollywood and didn’t know the actors.
Iger responded to Smith’s inquiries with a “brief email” including this statement:
A crisis of this magnitude, and its impact on Disney, would necessarily require me to actively help Bob (Chapek) and the company deal with it, especially since I ran the company for 15 years!
This quote appeared in Smith’s article, titled “Bob Iger Thought He Was Going to the Top. Now He’s Fighting for Disney’s Life,” with a tagline stating that Iger was “reasserting control.”
Since then, Smith’s article has been repeatedly cited as a turning point in the relationship between Iger and Chapek.
Smith went on to say in his new post, “The story and, I think, the perception that Iger had deviously positioned her to undermine his successor turned into one of the great dramas of the industry. It turned out that my contact with Iger was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, Chapek said, “When (Iger) did the Ben Smith interview where he basically reasserted himself as CEO, that was the biggest sign possible of an attempt to undermine me.” »
Smith argues that Chapek overstated the importance of the email Iger sent him, pushing back against how Chapek later characterized the exchange and its impact on their relationship.
As is often the case, the reality was dumber than the theories: although the underlying tensions between the Bobs were obviously real, my story was not a sneaky plant; I was new to the rhythm and I was hanging around. Iger didn’t call me for an interview; he responded to a few short emails. These theories often give too much credit to everyone.
Chapek is in the news again as he promotes his memoir, which he co-wrote with Don Yaeger. Title Behind the castle walls: my thirty years in the happiest place on earththe book will be released on September 29, 2026 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.
Early excerpts from the book reveal Chapek maintaining his price hikes at Disney parks and taking credit for Josh D’Amaro’s rise to CEO.
Chapek told CNBC on Monday that he wrote the book to “get the truth out there” about what happened during his time at Disney. He said he didn’t have a problem with Bob Iger, exactly what Iger did to regain control of The Walt Disney Company.
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