Layoffs are seemingly about to hit the most magical company on earth.
Disney is preparing to eliminate “as many as 1,000 positions in the coming weeks,” according to a report by Joe Flint and Ben Fritz in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday night. The news comes days after Puck’s John Ourand reported Disney-owned ESPN is preparing to cut around 30 employees.
Per the report, Disney employed 231,000 people at the end of the 2025 fiscal year, meaning forthcoming job cuts amount to just a fraction of a percent of the company’s total workforce. Most of those employees work in the so-called “experiences division,” which includes Disney’s theme parks and cruise lines. However, recent rounds of layoffs have more directly impacted Disney’s entertainment division and ESPN.
It is unclear exactly where Disney will focus the majority of its layoffs. No details were given that would call into question previous reporting that ESPN would see about 30 staffers cut “primarily in off-camera departments.” The Wall Street Journal report mentions that Disney is planning to combine staff at Disney+ and Hulu as it prepares to merge both brands into one app, which could account for some of the 1,000 planned layoffs.
Disney is far from alone among its legacy media peers in making job cuts. Both Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have cut staff in recent years, and many more are expected to be cut once the two companies receive approval for a merger.
Since former CEO Bob Iger retook the top post in 2022, Disney has cut more than 8,000 jobs amid wider reorganizations within the company. Many of those have come at ESPN, which underwent extensive cuts that included longtime on-air personalities like Suzy Kolber, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson in 2023.
As fewer people subscribe to traditional pay TV bundles, legacy media companies are reallocating resources elsewhere in hopes of growing new revenue streams. So far, it has been tough sledding.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.