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The Walt Disney Co. begins laying off
1,000 employees
[April 15, 2026]
By JAKE COYLE
NEW YORK
(AP) — The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday began layoffs expected to lead to
1,000 job cuts across the company.
Josh D'Amaro, who in February succeeded Bob Iger as chief executive,
announced broader layoffs following a move in January to consolidate
Disney's marketing division. The cuts are expected to fall across the
Burbank, California-based company's traditional television businesses,
including ESPN, as well as its movie studio. Employees in product and
technology, and in certain corporate functions will also be affected. |
The logo for The Walt Disney Company is displayed above a trading post
on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP
Photo/Richard Drew, File) |
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“Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which
we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company
to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation
our fans value and expect from Disney,” D'Amaro said in a memo
to employees obtained by The Associated Press. “Given the
fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to
constantly assess how to foster a more agile and
technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs.”
Disney last went through a round of layoffs soon after Iger
returned for a second spell as chief executive office in 2022.
The company cut around 8,000 jobs then. As of late 2025, Disney
had about 230,000 employees.
D'Amaro, who previously oversaw Disney's lucrative parks
division, has been at the company since 1998.
Contraction has recently been a widespread concern in Hollywood.
Paramount Skydance has shed 2,000 jobs since the studio was
taken over by David Ellison's company, and Ellison has
acknowledged layoffs would follow Paramount's planned merger
with Warner Bros. Discovery, if the deal wins approval from
shareholders and government regulators. Last week, Sony Pictures
Entertainment said it would eliminate hundreds of jobs.
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