Fact Check: Did Disney end gender-neutral language, fire 1000 employees to restore culture?
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA: An online social media post claims that Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro has restored the ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ greetings by eliminating gender-neutral language and fired 1000 employees to restore ‘common sense’ culture. The claim has spread on multiple platforms, prompting questions about its authenticity.
Claim: Disney CEO eliminated gender-neutral language
According to the viral claim, Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro has eliminated gender-neutral language, bringing back “Ladies and Gentlemen,” and reportedly fired 1,000 employees in an effort to restore “common sense culture.”
The claim has spread across social media platforms such as X, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit, collectively garnering hundreds of thousands of views as of this writing.
The claim drew conflicting reactions and debates from online users, with many expressing support for the alleged development, while others slammed it, indicating that many believe the claim is true.
Meanwhile, a few others dismissed the claim as fake and called for a fact-check of the rumor.
Fact Check: The layoffs were part of marketing consolidations
Although Disney has fired 1000 employees, there is no evidence that it is part of restoring culture or eliminating gender neutral language.
There are no official statements, announcements, or social media posts from the company or its CEO about firing 1000 employees or restoring ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ greetings.
If the claim were true, it would have been widely covered by prominent news and entertainment media outlets, but a search on Google for the claim yielded no credible media reports.
Moreover, a statement by the company clarified that the layoffs stemmed from marketing consolidations.
Disney announces more layoffs amid ongoing restructuring
The claim surfaced amid ongoing layoffs announced in April, which the company described as voluntary early retirement, followed by a round of cuts in July. Meanwhile, D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston told investors earlier this month that more are coming.
“We’re building a company that’s more agile,” D’Amaro told employees in April.
“This is one of several actions we’re taking to reshape our organization, including involuntary staff reductions that have already begun in some areas and will continue into next year,” Disney EVP and Chief People Officer Sonia Coleman wrote in her memo.
“These changes are part of our continual evaluation of how we manage resources and reinvest across the company as our industry continues to evolve,” a Disney spokesperson said.
