The Nanny Smacks Around Bob Iger
Bob Iger recently ticked off plenty of people, most of them the talent who have earned him a fortune over the years.
Recently, Iger drew the ire of none other than Fran Drescher, the President of SAG-AFTRA.
That’s right, folks. The Nanny (!) just smacked around Bob Iger. Here’s what happened and what’s going on with the strike right now.
It’s Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool
By now, you know that Bob Iger stepped in it last week when he went on CNBC and vented about writers and actors.
Iger inexplicably woke up that morning and chose violence. Here were his comments:
“It’s very disturbing to me.
“We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID, which is ongoing, it’s not completely back.
“This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption…”
Then, The Walt Disney Company’s CEO added:
“There’s a level of expectation that they have that is just not realistic.
“And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”
At the time, MickeyBlog knew that Iger had badly miscalculated with his tone-deaf, out-of-touch comments.
On one hand, we had writers and actors striking over what they considered an existential crisis.
The members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) worry for their professions.
The cause for this strike centers on the industry’s conversion to streaming from linear television.
When Hollywood brokered the last deal 15 years ago, most consumers didn’t even know what streaming was.
Netflix was still primarily a DVD mail service at the time. So, nobody worried about the residuals from Netflix’s fledgling streaming service. Oops!
Today, that miscalculation has bitten Hollywood talent in the rear, as I’m about to explain.
They fear for their future, while Iger sits on a mountaintop at something called “billionaire summer camp” and vents about The Poors.
This was a Bob Chapek-type mistake by Bob Iger.
The Nanny Strikes Back
Since Iger made his ill-considered comments, he has become the poster boy for Hollywood excess.
This stunning reversal of fortune would make sense for something like David Zaslav, the Chapek-like leader of Warner Bros. Discovery.
For Iger, it’s shocking in that he’s built his career on treating his talent with respect and trust. Now, he’s calling them “disruptive.”
Imagine if your favorite childhood teacher suddenly started saying stuff that made you want to block them on social media. It’s the same thing here.
During the first days of the SAG-AFTRA strike, many signs targeted Iger specifically.
Had the CEO simply said nothing or deferred to the negotiators during his CNBC interview, everyone would have targeted the reviled Zaslav instead.
Iger willingly put his head on the chopping block here by coming across like the human equivalent of Statler and Waldorf.
Over time, SAG’s message has crystallized regarding the strike, and it’s Iger bearing the brunt.
Recently, SAG President Fran Drescher summarized the madness of the situation:
Fran Drescher On Bob Iger: He Says “We’re Unrealistic When He’s Making $78,000 a Day” https://t.co/dDmcuJDDKQ
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 19, 2023
In her words, “(SAG) is unrealistic when he’s making $78,000 a day.”
That number, while shocking, lowballs Iger’s salary, at least historically.
In 2018 and 2019, Iger’s last two full years as Disney CEO, he earned roughly $113.2 million, an average of $56.2 million annually.
That’s an average of $154,000 a day! If Iger dropped that salary to a dollar, that money would pay the equivalent of 1,124 employees $50,000 annually!
When people toss around the term “late-stage capitalism,” this is the sort of nonsense they mean.
A CEO who doesn’t need the money is taking it anyway.
While he’s on the job, he’s complaining about the greedy workers who expect inflation-proof salaries.
That’s the honest evaluation of what’s happening.
The Talent Speaks Out
We don’t know whether any of the negotiators legitimately cares about this public relations nightmare.
Any objective evaluation of the early days of SAG’s strike would indicate that the workers have claimed tremendous public support.
What matters more is that the talent has started sharing notes about their residuals, and that’s where the conversation grows even more uncomfortable for Iger.
Deadline posted a blockbuster article about the lack of streaming revenue.
No, I’m not talking about the corporations who cry poor on the subject.
Instead, I’m referencing the money that performers make for their roles. It’s…grim.
Historically, linear television rewarded performers for working on popular projects.
When a movie or television series airs on a broadcast channel, each performer earns a modest amount of money.
That concept hasn’t transitioned to streaming services at all.
Netflix, which reported quarterly revenue of $8.2 billion and net income of $1.5 billion for its most recent quarter, is the worst offender here.
The cast of Orange Is the New Black indicated that their residuals are often less than a dollar. Yes, I’m serious.
Kimiko Glenn, who frequently appeared as Brook Soso, posted this TikTok:
@itskimiko why #sagaftra is striking #sagaftrastrong #sagaftrastrike #sagstrike
That’s right, folks. Her annual residual earnings from one of the most popular Netflix series ever were $27.
Meanwhile, Jana Schmieding of Hulu’s Reservation Dogs showed her residuals from the series:
To fans of my character Bev on Reservation Dogs, here’s a peek behind the IHS counter at what part of my residuals looks like for acting on a show that I love. I pull in $.03 each quarter for UNLIMITED world wide streams on fx/hulu/DISNEY.
& Iger is yachting. #SAGAFTRAstrike pic.twitter.com/u6JjubmznZ— jana (@janaunplgd) July 17, 2023
That’s right. If you find a nickel in your couch, you’ll be two cents richer than she got from her Disney residuals.
Bill Prady, the creator of The Big Bang Theory, adds this tidbit:
The writers and actors who worked on this show (and it's terrific) will now see residuals for the first time when it airs on network.
They worked just as hard as writers and actors on network shows. Why were they locked out of residuals because of where the show streamed? https://t.co/xWWqIeiwYc
— Bill Prady ⚛️ (@billprady) July 16, 2023
Yes, nobody from Marvel’s Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel, earned residuals until ABC announced it would air the series in August.
The Nanny Scolds Bob Iger
As the head of SAG, Drescher’s sole job at the moment involves finding a new method for securing payment for actors.
Hopefully, the WGA earns a similar deal because they’re getting mistreated in the current deal as well.
Now that the talent has shared shocking details regarding the lack of residuals, their collective contempt has soared.
Battle lines have been drawn here, and Bob Iger did his negotiators any favors with his reckless, thoughtless comments.
Until Iger starts working hard at making a deal, he’s gonna be the villain in the piece, which is…pretty shocking.
A dude earning $154,000 a day can’t be scolding people who are worried that the residuals well has dried up.
For the time being, The Nanny will continue to use Bob Iger as a whipping boy, and she’s right to do it.
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