Executive Predicts Bob Iger Will Return To Disney in 2022

There was a story that came out by CNBC this week that is really creating a buzz in the Disney-sphere.  The piece, which you can check out below spoke to 10 business executives who made their predictions of what’s going to happen in media and entertainment in 2022. 

Number 2 on the list was – “Bob Iger Returns to Disney as CEO.” 

No doubt The Walt Disney Company has had its fair share of ups and downs since the pandemic hit in Spring 2020 just as outgoing Disney CEO Bob Iger was ready to hand over the reigns of the company to his hand-picked successor Bob Chapek.  

Since Chapek took over as CEO it hasn’t been smooth sailing. Chapek had to contend with theme park shutdowns, COVID-19 protocols, staff cuts, Marvel lawsuits and so much more.  Since his time in charge he has also gained a reputation for nickel-and-diming it.  

From a theme park perspective the company has made decisions that have raised eyebrows from guests and employees including switching to a paid-for FastPass service (Genie+), making some cuts to the Galactic Starcruiser and more. For many therefore, the opinions of the Executive that spoke to CNBC don’t come as a massive surprise. 

The executive that spoke to CNBC said that even though it has been two years since Bob Chapek took over as Disney’s CEO, there are already internal wagers about Bob Iger returning. 

If you’ve been following along with us here at MickeyBlog you’ll know that despite Iger’s desire to retire, he extended his contract in 2015, 2016 and 2018 before stepping down just as the pandemic was kicking off in early 2020.  Iger, now 70 years old, is still executive chairman of Disney until the end of the year. 

Image: Disney

Should he return, it’s definitely not the downtime that Bob Iger envisioned and according to CNBC his plans were to write a second book, having published his first in 2019. However, Iger has always been determined to leave a lasting legacy at Walt Disney and Co and with shares currently down nearly 20% (many of which Iger still owns) he might feel the impetus to take over the helm for another stint. 

Only time will tell, but what is perhaps the most telling of it all, is that though this claim on its own may seem pretty outlandish, given the year Disney has had, it doesn’t seem that out of left field!

For those wondering what the other executive predictions were, we’ll include them below. They’ll also be a link at the bottom if you’d like to check out the entire article for yourself. 

1. Executive No.1: Roku buys Lionsgate’s studio

3.Executives No. 3 and 4: ViacomCBS will merge or sell

5. Executive No. 5: The ‘free radicals’ will sell

6. Executive No. 6: Vice will sell itself in pieces

7.Executive No. 7: Vox Media will go public

8.Executive No. 8: A major sports betting company will go bankrupt or sell for ‘peanuts’

9. Executive No. 9: Apple will buy a movie/TV studio

10.Executive No. 10: Free advertising-supported streaming services will consolidate

Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for further Disney-related news and updates.