Ousted Disney CEO show little remorse for raising prices at amusement parks

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Bob Chapek, who was fired as Disney’s CEO in 2022, stands by his controversial decision to aggressively raise prices at the parks, he writes in his upcoming memoir.

Chapek’s less-than-three-year tenure at Disney was mired in issues such as COVID, but also in controversies of his own making, including steep park price hikes and a botched response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.

But in his upcoming memoir, Behind the Castle Walls: My Thirty Years at the Happiest Place on Earth, Chapek, 66, showed no remorse for the steep price hikes he implemented during his tenure, The New York Times reported after receiving an advance copy.

Under his reign, Disney introduced an airline-style dynamic pricing and monetized previously free perks.

Some of those formerly free perks include Disney’s once-complimentary FastPass system, which allowed for shorter lines at attractions. The perk was replaced by Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane, which involve an added cost for guests.

Bob Chapek, the former CEO of Disney who was fired in 2022, is releasing a memoir next Tuesday (Getty Images)

“We’d been, at a minimum, leaving revenue opportunities on the table to avoid stirring the hornet’s nest,” he wrote, referring to growth seen under his tenure as chairman of Disney’s theme park division.

Guests must also pay for parking at Disney hotels in Florida, and Disney’s long-running complimentary airport shuttle service was discontinued.

Outside of the parks, Chapek also raised prices for Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, and ESPN, which jumped up from $7.99 to $10.99 and $6.99 to $9.99 a month, respectively.

In the upcoming memoir, Chapek blames his firing on a “relentless” sabotage campaign allegedly carried out by the man who picked him as his replacement: Bob Iger.

“My abrupt dismissal hurt my reputation, leaving those close to me, outsiders and some within the kingdom trying to figure out what I did wrong,” Chapek wrote. “The answer, again, is nothing.”

Chapek blames Bob Iger (pictured) for his ouster, claiming he carried out a ‘relentless’ sabotage campaign in order to get him removed as CEO (Getty)

Iger attempted to retire in 2021 and chose Chapek as his replacement, but soon after, the board of directors fired Chapek and brought Iger back, extending his contract through March of this year.

The feud between Iger and Chapek — including Chapek’s belief that Iger was undermining him — has long been reported. In the memoir, Chapek writes that Iger played “an intentional and preconceived role in abruptly ending my ride as Disney CEO.”

“I didn’t get a chance to finish what I started,” Chapek wrote. “In truth, it pisses me off.”

Disney recently named Josh D’Amaro as its new chief executive officer. In his memoir, Chapek says he was instrumental in helping the current CEO rise the corporate ladder.

“I consistently suggested the idea of promoting him,” Chapek wrote. “He had been a relative unknown in the corporate hierarchy before I singled him out.”

Disney declined to comment.