Key Points
- Disney is eliminating around 1,000 jobs across studios, networks, ESPN and technology teams as part of a restructuring under new CEO Josh D’Amaro.
- The layoffs are heavily concentrated in marketing and publicity functions, with entire divisions eliminated and senior executives including digital marketing leaders departing.
- The cuts reflect Disney’s effort to streamline operations and reallocate resources toward streaming and direct-to-consumer platforms amid declining traditional TV viewership.
The Walt Disney Company is eliminating around 1,000 jobs across multiple divisions as part of a broader effort to streamline operations and centralize its marketing organization under its new Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro.
The layoffs began Tuesday and affect employees across Disney’s studios, television networks, ESPN, product and technology teams and corporate functions. The cuts follow the company’s January decision to consolidate its marketing efforts into a unified enterprise division led by Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Asad Ayaz.
In a memo to staff, D’Amaro said the restructuring is intended to create a more connected and efficient organization.
“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,” D’Amaro wrote. “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.”
The layoffs are the first major action D’Amaro has taken at the company since becoming CEO last month. He previously led Disney’s theme parks and experiences business under its former CEO Bob Iger.
While the company has not disclosed a full breakdown of affected roles, the cuts are heavily concentrated in marketing and publicity functions, according to a report from entertainment publication The Wrap. Entire teams, including Disney’s home entertainment division and electronic press kit group, were eliminated. Roughly 20 employees in publicity roles were also impacted.
Senior executives were not spared. Among those departing is Dustin Sandoval, Senior Vice President of Global Digital Marketing, who oversaw campaigns for major releases including “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Other digital marketing roles across multiple levels were also cut.
The restructuring extends into Marvel Studios and related business units, with layoffs affecting staff in Burbank and New York across film, television, comics, finance and legal teams. Disney said the reduction at Marvel is smaller than some reports suggested, but acknowledged it reflects a pullback in production volume following an earlier expansion tied to Disney Plus.
Some divisions were less affected, including Pixar and parts of Disney’s New York-based film publicity operations. But creative advertising teams were impacted, including long-time executives Steve Nuchols and Disney’s Vice President of Brand Digital Marketing Theresa Helmer, according to reports..
Disney said the layoffs are not a reflection of employee performance but part of an ongoing effort to reallocate resources and improve efficiency.
“These decisions are not a reflection of their contributions, or of the overall strength of the company,” D’Amaro said. “Rather, they reflect our continual evaluation of how to more effectively manage our resources and reinvest in our businesses.”
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The company reported approximately 231,000 employees as of the end of its 2025 fiscal year. This latest round of cuts follows a larger restructuring in 2022 that eliminated about 8,000 positions.
The move comes about a year after Disney issued pink slips to nearly 200 workers across its ABC News and Disney Entertainment divisions, an action that included the departure of Nate Silver, the data scientist behind ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight blog. Disney also underwent two rounds of layoffs in 2024 that impacted its local television stations.
Other companies have trimmed their workforce over the past few years as entertainment giants become less reliant on their traditional TV networks and channels with an eye toward direct-to-consumer platforms, mainly those based on streaming. Paramount, Warner Bros Discovery, AMC Global Media and Comcast’s NBC Universal are among the firms that have implemented a mixture of layoffs or buyout offers to reduce their headcounts.
