Bob Chapek says Bob Iger regretted choosing him as Disney CEO and spent nearly three years working to remove him. In Chapek’s new memoir, the former Disney chief describes his 2022 firing as the end of a power struggle with the man he replaced—not simply a board reacting to one bad quarter.
The accusation is Chapek’s account of a bitter succession. Disney and Iger declined to comment on the claims reported from an advance copy of the book, and people familiar with the company’s view have challenged the memoir as one-sided. Chapek has now put the feud in public with the sharpest language he has used since leaving Disney.
What does Bob Chapek accuse Bob Iger of doing?
Chapek writes that Iger had an “incredibly difficult time” giving up the CEO job and soon regretted handing it to him. He claims Iger then ran a “relentless three-year campaign” to push him out and was the real force behind the board’s decision to replace him in November 2022.
His version begins in February 2020, when Disney named Chapek CEO while Iger stayed on as executive chairman. The handoff quickly became complicated by the pandemic, park closures, a streaming push, and a company structure that left both men with influence over major decisions. Iger returned as CEO less than three years later, and Chapek stepped down immediately.
Why does Chapek say their relationship collapsed?
The memoir points to repeated public and private clashes. Chapek says Iger undercut him during Disney’s fight with Florida over the state’s education law, after Iger criticized the legislation while Chapek was still deciding how the company should respond. Chapek also argues that Iger criticized price increases at the theme parks, then approved increases after returning to the job.
Those examples help explain why Chapek uses language as personal as “stabbed in the back.” He is not presenting a routine disagreement over strategy. He believes his predecessor never allowed the succession to work and used Disney’s crises to regain control.
Has Disney answered the accusations?
Disney and Iger did not provide a response for the advance report. That leaves readers with Chapek’s version before the memoir reaches stores. The official record confirms the basic timeline: Chapek became CEO in February 2020, and Disney’s board brought Iger back on November 20, 2022.
Behind the Castle Walls, written with Don Yaeger, is due September 29. The book runs 272 pages and covers Chapek’s three decades at Disney, including the short CEO tenure that ended with Iger walking back into the job. The feud is no longer corporate gossip; Chapek has made it the center of his own account.
