The feud between Disney and Ron DeSantis is escalating once more, after it was announced on Wednesday that the company is suing the Florida governor for political retaliation. But, “The Daily Show” guest host Desi Lydic thinks this war might’ve started over something much smaller.
In the complaint filed by Disney, the corporation describes “a targeted campaign of government retaliation – orchestrated at every level by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech – now threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region and violates its constitutional rights.”
The move comes just a few weeks after DeSantis suggested he might build a prison on land adjacent to the Walt Disney World property outside of Orlando, Florida. On the surface, this all stems from when former CEO Bob Chapek publicly commented on the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. But, Desi Lydic thinks this might all actually trace back to a certain Disney renaissance era character.
“Ron DeSantis has been attacking the Disney Corporation for a year now. Ever since Disney criticized his anti-gay bill, and also because they used his image for Quasimodo,” Lydic joked. “Dead ringer!”
For those less familiar with the names of older Disney characters, Quasimodo is the actual name of the hunchbacked character in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” To support her claim, a side-by-side graphic appeared, using a now-widely mocked shot of DeSantis from a recent press conference, and an image from the film.
That said, Lydic felt that Disney might be taking things too far — and making them too complicated — by bringing things to the courts.
“If they really wanted to f— him up, they’d slip his kid the ‘Encanto’ soundtrack,” she joked. “As a parent, trust me, that can ruin your life. We don’t talk about Bruno? How about we don’t talk about giving you up for adoption if you don’t turn that off?”
You can watch the full segment from “The Daily Show” in the video above.