Disney logo is seen on the store in Rome, Italy on May 10, 2025. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Los Angeles, California – The Walt Disney Company began another round of layoffs on Monday, affecting several hundred employees across a wide range of departments in what has become a recurring chapter in the media giant’s effort to recalibrate its operations amid ongoing industry disruption. The latest workforce reductions extend across global operations, with divisions in marketing, publicity, casting, development, and corporate financial functions all impacted, according to multiple sources.
These cuts are the latest in a sequence of job reductions over the past year as Disney seeks to meet the cost-reduction targets set by CEO Bob Iger. While the company has not disclosed an exact figure for this round, sources suggest it is the most substantial layoff event since July 2024, when about 140 television division staffers were let go, primarily from National Geographic, Freeform, and local stations.
Monday’s layoffs primarily affect Disney Entertainment, particularly staff responsible for marketing and promotion of both film and television properties. Disney is also restructuring its corporate financial operations, although it is not disbanding entire teams. Most of the entertainment television staff affected are believed to be based in Los Angeles, where the company’s core creative and business operations are located.
This round of layoffs marks the fourth major workforce reduction in just ten months. In March, nearly 200 positions were eliminated, primarily in ABC News and other entertainment networks. Those cuts followed a previous reduction of approximately 75 employees in October 2024 and another round of roughly 300 corporate staff, including those in HR, legal, and finance, in September. All told, these layoffs reflect the company’s broader strategy to streamline legacy operations as Disney pivots more aggressively toward its direct-to-consumer streaming business.
The pressure to reshape the company is not occurring in a vacuum. Traditional media companies continue to struggle with a contracting advertising market, shifting consumer habits, and the high costs of producing content that competes across various platforms. For Disney, the dual challenges of legacy television decline and the capital-intensive demands of streaming have forced difficult decisions about staffing and structure.
Iger, who returned to the company’s helm in late 2022, announced plans to cut $7.5 billion in costs, which included the elimination of approximately 7,000 jobs last year alone. While the company’s most recent earnings report showed signs of recovery—particularly in its experiences and sports divisions, and with notable improvement in streaming profitability—the layoffs suggest that the path to long-term stability still requires significant internal change.
Disney has framed the job cuts as necessary to enhance operational efficiency and adapt to the evolving media landscape. Meanwhile, the company continues to expand in other areas, including theme parks and international experiences, which have become key drivers of growth.
