Disney has joined the list of companies trying to disprove the adage, “Go woke, go broke.” And so far, the prospects do not look good for the house that Mickey built. After three months of fighting against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, Disney’s chief corporate affairs officer is stepping down. At the same time, Disney has seen a rapid decline in its stock values.
After only three months as chief corporate affairs officer, Geoff Morrell seems to have discovered that running public relations for a company hell-bent on pursuing an agenda of sexualizing children is more of a task than he thought it would be. He reportedly said that, after discussing the situation with CEO Bob Chapek, he realized he was not the “right fit” for the public-relations position, according to the Washington Examiner.
Morell announced his departure to Disney colleagues, writing, “After three months in this new role, it has become clear to me that for a number of reasons it is not the right fit,” adding, “After talking this over with Bob, I have decided to leave the company to pursue other opportunities.”
Morell is reportedly to be replaced by Kristina Schake, who served as special assistant to former President Barack Obama and communications director to former First Lady Michelle Obama. She also served in Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign as deputy communications director. And most recently, she led the Biden administration’s national Covid-19 vaccine “education” campaign.
Schake is in some regards a natural choice to replace the outgoing Morell, given her credentials as a true-blue liberal. But in regards to her tenure at Disney, her appointment to replace Morell is somewhat surprising; she was only hired by Disney in April, so this high-level promotion — reporting directly to Chapek — comes less than a month into her employment at Disney.
Morell’s departure comes as an embattled Disney finds itself on the receiving end of action on the part of Florida’s conservative lawmakers. Following Disney’s efforts to pressure legislators to overturn the Sunshine State’s Parental Rights in Education Act, those legislators responded by instead removing special privileges Disney has enjoyed for more than 50 years. Those privileges had allowed Disney near autonomy in zoning, taxation, and other areas normally handled at the county and state level.
In his role as head of public relations, Morell had helped craft the House of Mouse’s response to the Parental Rights in Education Act. That response was to go on the offensive, accusing Florida’s conservative legislators and Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of being anti-LGBTQ bigots who wanted to strip away support for “trans” kids. Like others on the Left, Disney executives pejoratively referred to the law as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” and busied themselves making all the usual leftist claims that the bill would “harm” LTBTQ+ students, would increase suicide rates among the LGBTQ+ “community,” etc.
Disney’s on-the-offensive position is on full display in a tweet Morell would certainly have been involved in drafting and approving:
In actuality, the bill does not even contain the word “gay.” It simply prohibits “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity” for “kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” Far from endangering “trans” kids (or any other kids, for that matter), what the law actually does is protect children from early indoctrination in sexual perversion while requiring schools to keep parents informed of any changes in a student’s physical, emotional, or mental well-being while allowing parents to sue if schools violate the provisions of the bill.
In the midst of all of this, Morell has called it quits. And his replacement is just the type of leftist liberal that dragged Disney into this mess in the first place. Disney had initially stayed silent on the subject. But bending to the wind and noise of the extreme Left — which demanded the company to wade deeper into this battle in the Culture War — Disney has truly stepped in it.
And instead of learning a lesson and backtracking, the company seems hell-bent on digging in its heels and wallowing in the stuff it has stepped in. And a financial reckoning may be on the near horizon.
Disney stock has taken a beating in the wake of the past few months of going full woke. Investor Place appears to be pushing Disney for those looking for a good deal on some cheap stocks, writing, “Despite Disney (NYSE:DIS) stock hitting 52-week lows, it could be a good time to swoop in and buy. While DIS stock has been in a near free-fall lately, the business is seeing improving trends.” But while Investor Place sees “improving trends,” it also cautions investors, warning, “New developments in Disney’s business dealings with the State of Florida are making this stock a risky bet.” And SeekingAlpha reports that the house that Mickey built has crumbled by a whopping 17 percent. Nasdaq warns, “Buying Disney Stock Remains a Tricky Proposition” with the company having “cratered more than 40% from its 2021 peak.” And MSN was clear in pointing to the proximate cause of Disney’s woes, reporting, “Disney stock tumbles amid Florida bill controversy.”
So, while going woke is leading Disney to go broke, Chapek and company seem to be bound and determined to dig themselves in even deeper. Perhaps Disney’s board will intervene, replacing Chapek and forcing a change in course. Or perhaps Disney will continue to devalue and find itself bought out by someone who understands that a company built on the idea of providing family-friendly entertainment is committing suicide by waging a war to sexualize children. Or perhaps the company will simply shrivel up and die.
At any rate, in an arduous effort to disprove the adage, “Go woke, go broke,” Disney is actually confirming the truth of that adage.
