Disney is swinging the axe again, laying off several hundred employees globally across multiple teams.
The layoffs are being conducted Monday, affecting teams including those that handle marketing for both film and TV, publicity, casting and development as well as corporate financial operations, sources tell Variety. Disney is positioning the cuts as enhancing its ability to operate more efficiently. No teams are being eliminated with the job cuts.
The exact number of Disney staffers who are losing their jobs could not be determined. Disney reps declined to comment.
The cuts come just a few months after Disney laid off nearly 200 staffers across its TV and ABC News operations in March, after the company let go 75 across ABC News and local stations in October 2024. Last September, the company let go about 300 employees across multiple corporate departments, including HR, legal and finance in the U.S.
And in July 2024, Disney pink-slipped about 140 employees in the television division, primarily affecting National Geographic, Freeform and locally owned TV stations.
The layoffs over the past year appear to be more surgical than the major cost-cutting moves the company made in 2023 shortly after Disney chief Bob Iger returned as CEO. The Mouse House’s rounds of layoffs two years ago ultimately cut more than 8,000 jobs (after initially targeting a reduction of 7,000).
As of Sept. 28, 2024, Disney reported having approximately 233,000 employees, of which roughly 171,000 were employed in the U.S. That was up from a total headcount of 225,000 a year earlier.
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For the first three months of 2025, Disney topped Wall Street earnings forecasts. Iger said the company remains “optimistic” about its current fiscal year guidance, projecting earnings per share to be up 16% year over year. For the fiscal year ending in September 2025, Disney also expects double-digit increases in operating income for its entertainment and sports segments, and 6%-8% growth in operating income for its theme park and consumer products business.
The latest Disney layoffs were first reported by Deadline.
From Variety US