Disney head Bob Iger to step down, advise new CEO Josh D'Amaro

Disney CEO Bob Iger will be stepping down on Wednesday after overseeing the company, having been appointed to lead the media conglomerate in 2005. Iger has overseen the transition of the media company into streaming services among other market shifts during his time. He has also overseen some of the left-wing political shifts in Disney's content.

He will hand over leadership of the company to Josh D'Amaro, the current chairman of Disney Experiences. After the transition, Iger plans to be involved in an advisory capacity as a member of the board of directors, according to Cord Cutters News.

The exit for Iger was planned, and it was reported he would be making the move before the end of 2026 in the beginning of the year. The Wall Street Journal reported on January 30 that he planned to "pull back from daily management before the Dec. 31 end of his contract."

However, it was reported that Iger would be stepping down from the role during the early months of 2026 when Disney tapped James Gorman to be the chair of Disney Board’s Succession Planning Committee.

When he was appointed, Gorman said that a critical point of his tenure was "to appoint a new CEO, which we now expect to announce in early 2026. This timing reflects the progress the Succession Planning Committee and the Board are making, and will allow ample time for a successful transition before the conclusion of Bob Iger’s contract in December 2026."

Iger stepping down also aligns with Disney's annual shareholder meeting which is set to take place on Wednesday. During his time at the company, Iger oversaw a number of aggressive acquisitions for the company, including Pixar, ($7.4 billion), Marvel Entertainment ($4 billion), and Lucasfilm ($4 billion), among others.