Disney has ousted a top executive who slammed Florida’s anti-grooming, Parental Rights in Education law as “a violation of fundamental human rights.”
Peter Rice was fired from his post as Chairman of Walt Disney Television and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks, and will replace him with Dana Walden, Chairman of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television, according to a report by Deadline.
Rice, who spoke out against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R)’s Parental Rights in Education law, joined Disney in 2019, after the company acquired 21st Century Fox.
In March, Rice told The Hollywood Reporter that he viewed the anti-grooming legislation in Florida as “a violation of fundamental human rights.”
Deadline suggests that Rice could have been ousted due to the executive being “high in the rumor mill” as a potential replacement for Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who received a “hastily prepared vote of confidence” by the company’s board on Thursday, after Rice’s firing.
“Anger over the development toward Chapek is running high,” the outlet reports, adding that one source said, “The vote of confidence is laughable, it seems like the thing they do before they send you out to the firing squad.”
As for Rice, he was reportedly “completely blindsided” by his firing, as were many of his colleagues at Disney.
One shocked and disappointed source told Deadline, “Peter Rice is one of the best executives in town, and I can’t imagine why Chapek would do this, other than feeling threatened by all the rumor of Peter and Kareem being people who could take his job.”
“There’s no cause,” the source added. “This is a big, big loss for the Walt Disney Company.”
Chapek has faced criticism over Disney’s initial response to Florida’s anti-grooming law, which prohibits teachers from discussing sexuality and transgender ideology to children in kindergarten through third grade.
After falling under attack for initially declining to take a position on the legislation — which left-wing activists have misleadingly called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — Chapek caved to the woke mob and announced that the company is pledging $5 million toward LGBTQ groups.
Moreover, the groveling Disney CEO has also promised to launch as task force to make more LGBTQIA2S+ content for children and families.
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