It’s never fun to hear about people losing their jobs. But when a company once beloved by generations of American families continues to shed employees like autumn leaves, you start to wonder if maybe—just maybe—it’s a sign something deeper is wrong.
The latest corporate behemoth to find itself on the chopping block is The Walt Disney Company. Reports from The Post Millennial confirm that as of Monday, June 2, hundreds of employees in Disney Entertainment and corporate finance have been let go. Departments affected include marketing, casting, development, and filming—some of the very core functions that built the Disney empire.
And no, this isn’t just a minor adjustment or some quarterly cleanup. This is the fourth wave of layoffs in under a year.
It all started when Bob Iger returned as CEO in 2023 and announced a mission to cut $7.5 billion in costs. That same year, around 7,000 jobs were slashed. And it hasn’t stopped since. In March 2025, 200 employees at ABC News got their walking papers. In September 2024, another 300 corporate roles were eliminated. Pixar? Hit. Freeform? Hit. The magic seems to be draining from the entire kingdom.
According to Disney’s official line, this is all part of “industry transformation” and their goal to “operate more efficiently.” That may sound slick in a shareholder meeting, but outside the boardroom, Americans aren’t buying the PR spin.
Because everyone knows what’s really changed at Disney—and it’s not just the economy.
Disney’s slide didn’t start with declining DVD sales or changes in streaming habits. It started when they forgot their audience.
Once a cultural cornerstone of wholesome family entertainment, Disney took a sharp left turn in recent years. Instead of focusing on timeless values, they leaned hard into social activism. From inserting overtly political themes into children’s programming to openly opposing parental rights legislation in Florida, the company hasn’t just strayed off course—it’s taken a rocket ride away from the values that made it a household name.
Families across the country noticed—and many walked away.
That’s why, even with a shiny earnings report showing revenue up 7% and some Disney+ subscriber growth, there’s little reason to celebrate. Because deep down, Disney has a problem money can’t fix: they’ve lost the trust of their core audience.
This week’s layoffs are more than a budget cut. They’re a symptom of a much bigger issue. You can’t keep ignoring your customer base and expect no consequences. Somewhere along the way, Disney chose ideology over imagination, politics over playfulness—and now the bill is coming due.
The irony? It’s not the executives feeling the consequences. It’s the regular employees—marketing staff, development workers, casting coordinators—who are now paying the price for decisions made in corner offices by people more concerned with Twitter applause than ticket sales.
This should be a cautionary tale to every other major corporation thinking about trading in their brand identity for a round of social justice virtue-signaling.
At the end of the day, Americans don’t tune in to Disney to be lectured. They want to laugh, cry, and remember what it felt like to be a kid again. They want to share that experience with their own children, not explain why the latest cartoon character is giving a monologue on identity politics.
If Disney wants to stop the bleeding—of staff, of revenue, and of goodwill—they need to rediscover the magic that built their empire in the first place. It wasn’t boardroom activism. It was storytelling. It was joy. It was simple, unapologetic fun.
Until then, this not-so-happiest place on Earth may have more pink slips than pixie dust to hand out.