The race to succeed Disney CEO Bob Iger is now down to two final candidates, according to a report, which cited sources as saying that the growing consensus both within the House of Mouse and among industry observers points to the head of the theme parks division emerging on top.
Josh D’Amaro, who currently holds the title of chairman of Disney Experiences, has been out front in recent months — attending movie premieres, speaking at investor conferences and holding court with company employees, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.
D’Amaro’s increasingly public profile has left insiders with the distinct impression that he is the favorite to emerge in what has become a two-horse succession race against Disney Entertainment co-Chair Dana Walden, according to the Bloomberg News report.
Walden and Iger jointly made the decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel after the late-night host’s comments suggesting a link between Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin and President Trump’s MAGA movement.
There is no evidence of any connection between the alleged gunman, Tyler Robinson, and MAGA.
Walden’s candidacy may have been bruised by her role in the controversy as shareholders fumed that the Kimmel brouhaha represented a breach of the company’s fiduciary responsibility and resulted in financial damage.
Iger, who came out of retirement and returned to the CEO role in late 2022 after the turbulent 18-month reign of his hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek, signaled that he would step down for good after the board extended his contract through early 2026.
Since then, the race for succession has reportedly boiled down to four names — D’Amaro, Walden, ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro and Walden’s Disney Entertainment co-Chair Alan Bergman.
Insiders told Bloomberg News that Pitaro and Bergman are now perceived as long shots to get the top job.
The Post has sought comment from Disney.
The growing chatter about D’Amaro’s potential employment is reportedly grating on Iger.
At a recent breakfast in a Santa Monica, Calif. restaurant, Iger raised his voice when someone in his entourage commented to him that D’Amaro “will do a great job when he’s appointed CEO.”
According to Bloomberg News, the soon-to-be-retired chief executive “bristled” at the remark and made clear that the board of directors hadn’t made a decision on a successor.
Iger told his breakfast partner that he had “no idea” where the notion that D’Amaro had the inside track on the CEO role was coming from, according to the report.
D’Amaro’s star has been on the rise since 2020 thanks to his division’s impact on the company’s balance sheet.
In the last five years, Disney Experiences, which encompasses theme parks, cruise ships and consumer products, has been the House of Mouse’s most profitable arm.
The unit has posted sales growth every year since the pandemic, though public criticism has escalated over increasingly expensive theme park tickets that some say have priced out most middle-class Americans.
In the first nine months of fiscal 2025, the division generated $8.12 billion in profit — roughly one-third more than Disney’s TV, film, streaming and sports businesses combined, all of which have struggled in an era when consumers are watching less traditional television and going to theaters less often.
While the theme parks unit has raked in cash, its success has come at a cost. Longtime Disney fans have been increasingly vocal about ticket price hikes for adult and children passes, which range from $104 to $206 — not counting the exorbitant costs of food, concessions and parking.
Disney has committed up to $60 billion over the next decade to expand its resorts business with new attractions, additional cruise ships and a licensed theme park in the Middle East — the company’s first in the region.
D’Amaro is also responsible for overseeing Disney’s $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, the maker of “Fortnite.”
Inside Disney, executives say D’Amaro’s deep familiarity with company culture gives him an advantage over his rivals. He has spent nearly three decades at Disney, while Walden joined in 2019 through the $71.3 billion Fox deal.
Though D’Amaro has never directly managed Disney’s TV or film units, he works closely with the leaders of those businesses and is regarded as well liked, several people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News.
At a March retreat in Florida for Disney’s top 300 managers, the four division chiefs each presented their vision for the company’s future.
D’Amaro’s showcase of how the Experiences unit could extend Disney’s brand and properties was described as particularly compelling, Bloomberg News reported.
In lighter moments at the retreat, D’Amaro lost a doubles pickleball match against two film studio executives, prompting jokes from insiders who said they were surprised — assuming he would win at anything he tried.
