Disney set to fire several thousand staffers as Hollywood lay-off crisis deepens

Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro at the Mouse House’s 2026 upfront

Disney is reportedly readying a massive round of job cuts, its fourth major one of the year, with thousands of roles set to be axed as Hollywood’s lay-off crisis worsens.

The entertainment giant is expected to cut several thousand jobs across its television networks, film studios, theme parks and other corporate roles.

A precise number of lay-offs is not yet known, though reports suggest some managers have been tasked with finding cost savings of up to 20% within their departments. A timeline has not yet been established. Bloomberg was the first to report the impending lay-offs.

Disney had around 231,000 employees at the end of 2025, with around 172,000 of those in the US and 59,000 internationally.

Under new CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took the reins from Bob Iger in March, Disney has taken decisive steps to reduce its workforce in 2026.

In April, it cut around 1,000 jobs, many of them in its marketing departments, before lay-offs in July saw several hundred employees cut, including staffers at Nat Geo, Pixar, ABC News and ESPN.

Six weeks ago, it fired a further 300 staffers in a round of cuts that was primarily focused on its human resources and information technology departments, while it more recently cut more than 100 jobs in its theme parks division.

Reports of Disney’s intention to cut thousands more jobs comes after Netflix laid off around 1,000 employees last month. Sony Pictures Entertainment also made a round of cuts earlier in the year, while major lay-offs are expected imminently following the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery.

Disney is set to report its fourth-quarter earnings on November 17.