Credit: Edited by Inside the Magic
When the Walt Disney Company was feuding with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, one of the barbs the governor would throw at Disney was that the company had “gone woke.” This became a rallying cry for those who were against anything Disney did.
Related: Florida Attorney General Coming For Disney World Starbucks Locations
However, after Governor DeSantis and Disney buried the hatchet, those cries died down until now. Twentieth Century Television Senior Vice President Michael Giordano was caught on a hidden video saying that Disney explicitly does not hire “white men” for specific roles.
Michael Giordano’s comments are only a few minutes in the video, with some intermittent reactions; however, Giordano says some damaging things about Disney’s hiring practices and inclusion policies.
Certainly, there have been times where, you know, there’s no way we’re hiring a white man for this…. There are times when it’s spoken.
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There’s no way we’re hiring a white man for this role. They’d be very careful how they’d message that to agents.
Senior Vice President at Disney: "There's no way we're hiring a white male"
Stop funding companies that hate you.#BoycottDisney. Pass it on.
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 20, 2024
Related: Senator Tells Disney to Lawyer Up After Leaked Exec Video Claims Company Won’t Hire ‘White Men’
Giordano says that Disney CEO Bob Iger “100 percent” has a say in ensuring diversity in casting on Disney’s shows and movies. While it is not a directive from Bob Iger, he says there should be “a certain amount of diversity” in each show.
The reporter asked if this initiative came from Latondra Newton, Disney’s former Chief Diversity Officer, who is African American and left her job last year. However, Senior VP Michael Giordano said that other people in human resources are also focused on diversity in the company.
Giordano went on to say that while only 10-15 percent of the population is gay, he estimates that a third or more of Disney’s writers are gay, and they “lean into gay and transgender stories.”
This is messed up https://t.co/yu0zUXCOzF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 20, 2024
He went on to say that when it comes to Disney’s hiring practices, there are “certain people that they won’t see.” He said:
When it comes to diversity, there is a belief that it’s just good for society. But there’s also a belief that it’s going to make more money if we appeal to a wider variety of people and it’s a good thing.
We have shareholders too. There are conservative people who don’t lean into it, but you can make the argument that we make more money if we appeal to a wider variety of people.
Giordano even focused on his career moving forward, saying he is “one step below being a department head,” but as far as Disney is concerned, he’s only “a white male.”
Disney has come under fire for its diverse casting, including casting Halle Bailey, who is African American, in the live-actionThe Little Mermaid (2023)and Rachel Zegler, who is Latina, in the live-actionSnow White (2025).
It is unclear whether Giordano knew he was being filmed or who the person interviewing him was. However, later in the video, there is a location and clothing change, which may mean this taping took place over multiple meetings.
The Walt Disney Company has not commented on the leaked video. However, several comments on X (formerly Twitter) call for a boycott of Disney over its DEI and hiring practices.
DEI Lawsuit
Earlier this year, Stephen Miller, Former Adviser to President Donald Trump and his American First Legal, filed a lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that The Walt Disney Company violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964. This act bans employment discrimination by prohibiting companies from using race, color, religion, sex, or national origin merely as motivating factors for hiring, training, or promotions.
/1🚨BREAKING — Following the disclosure of damning internal company documents, AFL has filed a formal EEOC complaint against @Disney alleging pervasive illegal discrimination based on race and sex.
THREAD: pic.twitter.com/LeI5ZOW3dq
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 14, 2024
The former Donald Trump adviser sued The Walt Disney Company after an alleged document from the company showing Disney’s inclusion standards was leaked. The document shows the “underrepresented groups” ratio that must be included in Disney’s films, creative leadership, and behind-the-scenes roles.
Elon Musk originally leaked the document that Stephen Miller and America First Legal use on X (formerly Twitter). Musk released the documents shortly after X and Gina Carano announced they were suing Disney over Carano’s firing from the Star WarsshowThe Mandalorian.
What do you think of Disney’s DEI and hiring practices?
