In Interview with Chris Wallace on CNN+, Bob Iger Explains Why CEOs Should Discuss the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill and Other Issues: “About Right and Wrong”

One of the first guests in Chris Wallace’s new CNN+ series is why corporate leaders are talking about climate change, immigration and, more recently, Florida e. წ. The “Say Gay” bill.

“Most of these issues are not political at all,” Iger said in an interview this week. “Right and wrong. So I came up with ideas and it’s fun to see how they brought them to light. For me, it wasn’t about politics. There was talk of what was right and wrong, and it just seemed wrong. It seemed potentially harmful to children.”

Now led by Iger’s successor, Bob Chapek, Disney released a statement this week condemning the Florida law signed by Governor Ron Desantis. But Chapek initially did not want to take the public side of the law, saying that company filings are often “set up for further division and confusion by one or the other party.” But the company’s public silence sparked a backlash, and Chapek declared his opposition to the company, saying that “our initial approach, however well-intentioned, didn’t work.”

In an interview with Wallace, Iger spoke publicly on issues like climate change and immigration. “I had to deal with this a lot, and the filter I used to determine whether I should be weighed in took several factors into account. What impact will it have on our employees, our shareholders, and our customers? And if any of these three groups took a deep interest in or influenced him, whatever the case, I thought at the time that this is what we should discuss.

Wallace asked Iger if he thought “right or wrong”: “I was going to divide people, whether it was climate change, immigration or gender identity.” What will people dislike [you] They say, and maybe that means fewer people are coming to the theme park.

“Although there were threats of boycotts on certain issues, we never saw much evidence of that,” Iger said. “Again, when it comes to right and wrong and something that has a huge impact on your business, I think you should do the right thing and not worry about potential adverse reactions.”

In another part of the interview, Wallace shot a clip from the documentary. The American Dream and Other Tales, co-director Abigail Disney is forcing The Walt Disney Company to split a wide pay gap between hourly theme park employees and Iger’s CEO compensation. The movie reveals that a significant portion of Disneyland employees are on food stamps and even homeless.

Wallace said, “You did what the average Disney employee does 1,000 times that year. Do you have any questions about that?”

“I’ve never been defensive about what I’ve done. I’ve never been defensive about what I’ve done. During my tenure I was paid less than was commensurate with most executives at major media companies and often less than interesting enough, and Disney was the hardest, biggest, and most successful of them all,” Iger said.

“During my tenure, we created a lot more jobs, especially in the United States. And during that time, we’ve given people more opportunities. He also said that most of those earning the minimum wage “find overtime, got good benefits, and were promoted over time.” He noted that they have started a program to cover the training costs of the workers.

“If I regret it, I will regret it, and that’s because, by the way, we’re one of the first companies to get over $10 an hour in starting pay,” Iger said. “They forced us to leave at 3:00 PM. There was some doubt about this because of the costs involved. We should have done it right away. It’s my idea.”

CNN+ series Who is talking to Chris Wallace? First shown at 6 PM ET, then available on demand.