Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro speaks during the inauguration of the expanded “Disney Adventure World” at Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, on March 28, 2026. (Blanca Cruz – AFP / Getty Images)
By Bryan Chai April 15, 2026 at 6:30am
The House of Mouse just completed some spring cleaning — and heads are rolling.
Just days after news first broke that Disney was planning a massive round of layoffs, the Sword of Disneycles appears to have fallen.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney commenced this latest round of layoffs on Tuesday, triggering a significant overhaul at the entertainment titan with 1,000 jobs being eliminated.
“Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney,” new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro wrote in a memo to staff.
“Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs,” he added.
“As a result, we will be eliminating roles in some parts of the company and have begun notifying impacted employees.”
D’Amaro continued, “I know this is hard. Those that will be leaving us have done meaningful work here and care deeply about this company. These decisions are not a reflection of their contributions, or of the overall strength of the company.”
“Rather, they reflect our continual evaluation of how to more effectively manage our resources and reinvest in our businesses.”
Layoffs are hitting Disney — and they’re happening across the board.
About 1,000 roles are being cut throughout marketing, ESPN, studios, tech, and corporate teams, with many employees already being notified about the changes.
In an internal email, a top executive points to the… pic.twitter.com/Hrm8BnDmLR
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) April 14, 2026
To be clear, these are not rank-and-file theme park employees being fired. Some of the positions being cut by D’Amaro are big ones.
The Wrap reported that “several entire divisions of publicity, Marvel and some noted lieutenants of Asad Ayaz, the company’s chief marketing and brand officer,” were on the chopping block.
Of the 1,000 layoffs, 20 involved people in various company publicity departments.
Notably, the entire home entertainment team — responsible for bringing big screen Disney movies to Blu-ray and DVD — has also been cut.
The Wrap also noted that “on the digital marketing side, positions at every level were eliminated.”
Top executives were not immune to this new round of layoffs, including the home entertainment team’s executive director of global publicity and marketing communications Chris Bess, director of creative content Natalie Clunis, senior vice president of global digital marketing Dustin Sandoval, and director of digital marketing Mike Reeder.
Alas, one of Disney’s most lucrative properties, Marvel, also took it on the chin. Across nearly every area of the division, from film and comics to Marvel’s legal team, jobs were axed.
Some notable Disney areas that were not affected by these layoffs include the New York-based film PR team, as well as the entire Pixar team.
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.
Birthplace
Hawaii
Education
Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, Korean
Topics of Expertise
Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech
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