Disney CEO Bob Iger has recently spoken out about the recent failures of his company, as well as how a potential actor’s strike could hurt the industry. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher has spoken out against these remarks, calling Iger ‘Out of Touch’.
Bob Iger recently revealed that he plans to stay on as CEO of Disney until at least 2026, with his annual bonus increasing by nearly 500% during that extension. During interviews about his decision, he commented on the potential of a SAG-AFTRA strike before the contract negotiations ended last Friday, saying: “It’s very disturbing to me…this is the worst time in the world to add to that [post-COVID] disruption.”
SAG-AFTRA President Fren Drescher, best known for her role on The Nanny, spoke out about Bob Iger’s comments as the strike began proper. She called the Disney CEO “out of touch” for his comments, and that the company should keep him from talking to anyone else about this issue due to a lack of understanding:
“I found them terribly repugnant and out of touch. Positively tone deaf. I don’t think it served him well,” Drescher told Variety. “If I were that company, I would lock him behind doors and never let him talk to anybody about this, because it’s so obvious that he has no clue as to what is really happening on the ground with hard working people that don’t make anywhere near the salary he is making. High seven figures, eight figures, this is crazy money that they make, and they don’t care if they’re land barons of a medieval time.”
According to Business Insider, Bob Iger’s compensation before his extended contract already reached $27 million a year, with the new contract potentially adding several million to it. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher is certainly right about the Disney CEO making crazy money. Whether these comments end up swaying shareholders to push the AMPTPA to come back to the table it yet to be seen, but if the WGA strike is anything to go by, actors may be in for a long fight.
