"It's a Bloodbath": Layoffs Under Way at Disney | Hollywood Reporter

"It's a Bloodbath": Layoffs Under Way at Disney

More than 100 executives are said to have been impacted by Thursday's layoffs.

"It's a bloodbath." That's how two longtime Disney staffers have described the wave of layoffs happening at the company Thursday.

The staff reductions are taking place are falling under Disney's General Entertainment Content unit, overseen by Peter Rice, and Dana Walden's Walt Disney Television division, including ABC and studio 20th Television. Sources say more than 100 staffers have been impacted by Thursday's layoffs. "I'm sure Disney's seen worse but it feels pretty significant," said one longtime executive familiar with the cutbacks Thursday. Disney declined comment. (THR will update this post with more information as it becomes available.)

Longtime ABC exec Vicki Drummer, who has spent nearly a quarter century at Disney and most recently served as head of current for the broadcast network, is among the senior executives who have been impacted by the layoffs. ABC's exec vp scheduling Andy Kubitz, an eight-year network veteran, is also among those who lost their jobs Thursday. Kubitz most recently patched together ABC's schedule after the scores of holes were created when the pandemic forced production to shut down.

On the studio side, Dan Kupetz — who joined 20th TV in January to fill the void created by longtime studio co-chief Howard Kurtzman's retirement — was also let go.

Another source noted that that Hulu executives are also among those who are worried about their jobs after Disney earlier this week gave Hulu head of originals Craig Erwich oversight of ABC as well. Disney continues to restructure and consolidate its workforce to better position the company for the streaming future while eliminating staff redundancies for cost-saving purposes. The changes are the latest in a wave of structural repositioning across Disney that started Oct. 12 when new CEO Bob Chapek shifted the company's priority to streaming. As part of the effort, Chapek tapped former consumer products president Kareem Daniel to oversee a new Media and Entertainment Distribution Group. That gave greater content control to studio leaders, including Rice, while handing Daniel oversight of distribution, ad sales and such other business functions as budgets. The changes created what one top literary agent dubbed a "content czar and Supreme Court of buyers" at Disney.

As part of the moves, Rice cent... (Read more)

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