Disney CEO Bob Iger Blasts DeSantis’ ‘Anti-Florida’ and ‘Anti-Business’ Feud with Company

Disney CEO Bob Iger accused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) of retaliating against and punishing Disney over the fact that it came out against legislation for the governor.

During a Monday shareholder meeting, Iger reportedly addressed concerns about the ongoing feud between Disney and Florida’s Republican governor. Iger traced the tensions back to the company publicly taking a stand against what was widely dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and labeled anti-LGBTQ by some last year. The legislation actually bans discussions on sexual orientation from kindergarten through third grade in public schools.

Since Disney was among the organizations that publicly opposed the bill, DeSantis has worked to strip the company of its self-governing status in Florida and blasted the company as “woke.” According to the Republican governor and potential 2024 candidate, Florida is the state where “woke goes to die.”

Iger called DeSantis’ efforts against the company “anti-Florida” and “anti-business,” arguing they could negatively impact Disney’s efforts to invest more in its state plans.

“Our point on this is that any action that thwarts those efforts simply to retaliate for a position the company took sounds not just anti-business, but it sounds anti- Florida. And I’ll just leave it at that,” Iger said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Disney head also claimed the company had a First Amendment right like any individual and therefore do not deserve the scrutiny from DeSantis.

“A company has a right to freedom of speech just like individuals do. It seems like he’s decided to retaliate against us,” Iger said.