Lay-offs underway at Disney with Marvel and ESPN among departments hit  

Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro confirmed the company would be making a major round of lay-offs on Tuesday, with cuts taking place across the media giant including at Marvel and ESPN.

Josh D’Amaro

In a memo to staff, D’Amaro, who has been at the helm for less than a month, said Disney would be eliminating roles in various parts of the company.

Reports suggest that as many as 1,000 positions are set to be cut across the company, with many of them in Disney’s marketing departments, which were unified under chief marketing and brand officer Asad Ayaz in January. However, beyond marketing, cuts are also taking place in Disney’s TV and film production business, sports brand ESPN and others.

“Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney,” wrote D’Amaro.

“Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs. As a result, we will be eliminating roles in some parts of the company and have begun notifying impacted employees.”

In the note, D’Amaro said the job cuts were not a reflection of the overall health of the company, but rather a reflection of “our continual evaluation of how to more effectively manage our resources and reinvest in our businesses.”

Marvel is among the departments hit, with significant cuts to its offices in both LA and New York spanning TV and film production, in addition to franchise, comics and finance.

Across the entertainment sector, corporate downsizing has continued to be a reality for the past four years.

Last week, Sony Pictures Entertainment said it would be cutting hundreds of jobs, while Paramount shed around 2,000 roles last year and there are expected to be other major rounds of cuts if Paramount completes its US$111bn acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. Disney itself cut more than 7,000 jobs in 2023 after Bob Iger returned as CEO. According to estimates, Disney had a total of around 230,000 employees at the end of 2025.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report last week that Disney was planning to make a major round of cuts.

The lay-offs cap a busy first month in charge for D’Amaro, who previously led the theme parks and experiences division, following the cancellation of ABC’s The Bachelorette and the collapse of Disney’s Artificial Intelligence-focused deal with OpenAI.

D’Amaro told staff he is “optimistic” about the company’s future as he signed off in his note. “Despite these difficult decisions, I remain optimistic about where we’re headed as a company,” he said. “I’m deeply grateful for all of your contributions and for the dedication, professionalism, and care you bring to your work each day. Even in challenging moments, you continue to demonstrate what makes Disney so special.”