Chapek’s Memoir Revisits “Don’t Say Gay” Firestorm, Blames Bob Iger for Making Things Worse

Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek is giving his own account of the “Don’t Say Gay” crisis in his new memoir, “Behind the Castle Walls: My Thirty Years at the Happiest Place on Earth.” The book is out September 29th from Gallery Books, and we have an early look at the memoir. One chapter toward the end of the book revisits Chapek’s 2022 handling of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act and the fallout that followed. Chapek writes that he tried to keep Disney out of the fight. He says Bob Iger’s public tweet undercut him, and that Governor Ron DeSantis broke off their working relationship once the bill became law.

Bob Chapek’s Book Revisits the “Don’t Say Gay” Fallout

Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, became a lightning rod as the pandemic’s cultural divides deepened. Chapek writes that Disney had historically stayed out of political statements. He says he initially chose to keep the company out of this one too, worried that a public position would draw fire from both sides. His proposed middle path: reaffirm Disney’s commitment to inclusivity in a statement, work with DeSantis and Florida legislators behind the scenes, and stop short of a political declaration either side could misrepresent.

He writes that he brought the idea to the board, and that everyone on the board agreed to it. That choice played out publicly after we published Chapek’s company-wide email declining to denounce the bill. In that email, Chapek cited Disney’s inclusive content as a more effective long-term statement than a political one.

Backlash to Chapek’s initial approach grew quickly. Protesters organized, including a website calling for Chapek’s ouster. That website accused senior leadership of failing to “match the magnitude of the threat” the bill posed to LGBTQIA+ safety. Chapek writes that most of the visible demonstrators turned out to be mobilized by outside LGBTQ advocacy groups, not Disney employees. Facing mounting pressure, Chapek reversed course. As we reported when Chapek issued a company-wide apology for the company’s lack of action and advocacy on the bill, he told employees, “I let you down,” and announced Disney would pause all political donations in Florida.

Chapek writes that the reversal drew criticism from both sides at once. Critics called him weak for reversing course within forty-eight hours. Meanwhile, the bill’s supporters escalated their attacks on the company regardless. Days later, Chapek said Disney had been “opposed to the bill from the outset.” As we reported when Chapek said he would meet with Governor DeSantis and pledged $5 million to protect LGBTQ+ rights, that pledge came days after the apology.

Chapek writes that he called board chairman Susan Arnold once the legal fight began. He told her, “This is exactly what I said would happen.” Chapek describes Iger as sitting back and playing keyboard warrior during that period. Iger criticized him privately, Chapek writes, while staying publicly silent.

Despite the controversy, Disney’s board voted in June 2022 to extend Chapek’s contract for three more years. As we reported at the time, Arnold said in a statement that Chapek was “the right leader at the right time” for the company. Chapek’s book revisits that same line with the benefit of hindsight. “I was the right leader at the right time,” he writes. “As they say, things change.”

This article draws on Chapek’s published account of events. Disney, Iger, and others involved have described aspects of this period differently in past statements and reporting.

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