Reappointed Disney CEO Bob Iger spent months undermining his ousted successor Bob Chapek by holding an office and criticizing his leadership, report says.

• The Wall Street Journal reports that Disney CEO Bob Iger has spent months undermining his successor, Bob Chapek.
• Despite his exit, he reportedly maintained an office and held meetings with Chapek’s staff without consulting him.
• The board reinstated Iger as CEO of Disney in November, ending Tangled’s two-year tenure.

Returning Disney CEO Bob Iger spent months undermining his successor Bob Chapek before reclaiming the top job at the behest of senior executives, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal detailing the power struggle between the two men.

Ige reprises the role less than three years after leaving the business.

Despite stepping down as CEO in 2020 and ostensibly leaving Disney entirely at the end of 2021, Iger has kept his office at the company’s Burbank, California headquarters, according to the report. The magazine, citing current and former Disney executives and people familiar with the events, reported that he held meetings with Chapek’s employees without being invited, which angered the new CEO.

Eiger is also reported to have undermined Čapek by telling a friend that the latter is a poor chief and not well.

Disney’s board of directors dramatically reinstated Iger as CEO last month amid broader discontent with Chapek’s leadership.

Insider’s Claire Atkinson reports that the decision came within a few days after a senior executive reached out to Iger. His return was welcomed by staff, with one executive likening it to “a pipe dream”. Fans at Disneyland also showered Iger with wishes for selfies and autographs earlier this month, according to the magazine.

Other executives were considering leaving if Chapek stayed on as CEO, a senior Disney official told Insider, expressing frustration with his leadership and decision-making.

Chapek, the former president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, has come under constant fire during his two-year tenure.

Insider’s Samantha DeLuya reported that the price increases for park tickets and food outpaced inflation, and the company began charging for past free offerings, such as select shuttles to parks and a FastPass service that allowed attendees to cut certain lines. The company saw its biggest stock drop in a single day the day after its most recent earnings call, during which it disclosed a $1.3 billion loss in its streaming business. The staff also opposed the restructuring that deprived creative executives of power.

And he’s been criticized both internally and by figures in the industry for making decisions without enough information, a Disney insider told Insider last month.