Disenchanted Disney Staffers See the Looming Mass Layoff as a Way Off the Roller Coaster

With just weeks before a downsizing that will impact some 7,000 employees, many at the company tell TheWrap they’re weighing their less-than-magical options

With CEO Bob Iger committed to reducing the Walt Disney Company’s massive debt by laying off as many as 7,000 of its “cast members” as early as next week, the temperature inside the company is veering between nervous energy and strange relief as the threat of joblessness looms.

“I’d be happy to be laid off” or a variation thereof is something TheWrap heard from multiple Disney employees, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity.

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Drew Taylor

Drew Taylor is a reporter at TheWrap. Before joining the organization in 2021, Drew was a freelance film journalist with a keen interest in animation and Disney history. Drew has been covering film, television and theme parks for 15 years. He has written for the New York Times, the New York Daily News, Time Out New York, Collider, The Playlist, Polygon, Vulture, Box Office Magazine, AOL Travel and Syfy. He was the executive editor and social media manager for Moviefone before it was purchased by MoviePass. Additionally, Drew co-created and co-hosts “Light the Fuse,” a weekly podcast dedicated to the “Mission: Impossible” film franchise that recently celebrated its 200th episode milestone. He also authored the book “The Art of Onward,” about the making of Pixar’s 2020 fantasy film, and provided liner notes for several Mondo vinyl releases for Pixar features (“Up,” “Coco” and “Lightyear”).