Disney Communications Chief Steps Down After Florida Debacle

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

One of the masterminds from Walt Disney Company behind the ongoing battle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the Parental Rights Bill is stepping down.

Geoff Morrell, the chief corporate affairs officer of the company, is leaving, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a memo to staffers on Friday.

โ€œI am writing to share the news that Geoff Morrell, our Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities,โ€ he wrote in the memo obtained by Deadline.

Chapek said his company has no shortage of talent after Morrell steps down.

The company also reshuffled its leadership related to public affairs and government relations.

Kristina Schake, a former Biden administration communication aide who served as the head of the White Houseโ€™s COVID-19 vaccine education campaign, was tapped as the executive vice president for global communications.

Schake will lead the companyโ€™s communications efforts and report to Chapek.

Disney also moved its general counsel, Horacio Gutierrez, to lead government relations and global policy.

Morrell reportedly admitted that he doesnโ€™t fit the job.

โ€œAfter three months in this new role, it has become clear to me that for a number of reasons it is not the right fit,โ€ he wrote in a separate memo seen by the Financial Times.

The Epoch Times reached out to Disney for comments.

The outgoing communication chief was appointed to the position less than four months ago. His departure didnโ€™t come as a surprise for many after the company experienced a chaotic confrontation with the Florida governor.

Disney entered a saga with Florida after the state passed the Parental Rights in Education Bill, which prohibits teachers from instructing about sexual orientation and gender identity topics to children under the third grade. Proponents of the measure said that teaching young children about such topics is inappropriate and tantamount to grooming.

The company criticized the bill, saying it โ€œshould never have passed and should never have been signed into law.โ€ The company also claimed it has a โ€œgoalโ€ to get the law struck down or repealed.

The disputes triggered a standoff between Disney and the DeSantis administration.

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Why the Trump Administration is Sitting on the Epstein Files

President Trump, AG Bondi, and FBI Dir. Patel have the advantage over us in that they see the big overall picture when it comes to the Epstein List.

Trumpโ€™s โ€œMajor Statementโ€ On Russia Is A Clumsy Attempt To Thread The Needle

The โ€œmajor statementโ€ on Russia Trump hyped up turned out to be an attempt to thread the needle between escalating US involvement in Ukrainian and walking away from it.

AI Takes Customer Service from Doublespeak to Triplespeak

Corporations are replacing customer service agents with AI agents. Here's a real-life example of attempting to use AI to have my internet restored.

The Left’s Descent into Extremismย ย 

The political left, from mainstream Dems to radical Antifa, have embraced extremism, alienating swaths of the public and undermining their own influence.

Roger Stone Speaks About Trump at Turning Point USA

Longtime Donald Trump friend, Roger Stone, gave a speech at the 2025 TPUSA convention offering his take on the recent Epstein List controversy.

Border Czar Says Physical Appearance โ€˜Canโ€™t Be the Sole Reasonโ€™ to Detain Someone

Border czar Homan said comments were โ€œtaken out of contextโ€ and federal immigration enforcement agents can't detain people based on physical appearances alone.

Capacity of US Coal-Fired Power Plants to Fall Over 15 Percent by 2028

Total operating capacity of coal-fired power plants in US is set to drop to 145 GW by end of 2028, a 15% decline from the 172 GW in operation as of May.

Violence Against ICE Escalates Across America

ICE officers face increased confrontation on the street, which crosses the line between free speech and physical violence.

International Buyers Purchased $56 Billion Worth of US Homes in 1 Year

Foreign buyers purchased $56 billion worth of existing homes in the US between April 2024 and March 2025, up by 33.2% from the previous 12 months.

Pharma Imports Could Face Tariffs by End of the Month, Trump Says

US will institute tariffs on pharmaceutical imports โ€œprobably at the end of the month,โ€ President Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

RFK Jr. Fires Top Aides, Appoints New Acting Chief of Staff

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired several top advisers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed on July 16.

Trump Says He Will Impose Tariffs of More Than 10 Percent on Smaller Nations

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he intends to impose tariff rates of more than 10 percent on imports from โ€œsmaller nations.โ€

Trump Announces Trade Deal With Indonesia

The US and Indonesia have reached a trade agreement, President Trump announced on social media. โ€œGreat deal, for everybody, just made with Indonesia".
spot_img

Related Articles