The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest and most recognizable companies in the world, spanning multiple business sectors and earning billions as they continue to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Magic Kingdom
As one might expect from a Fortune 500 company, top executives earn a significantly high salary and compensation package. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 2021 salaries for Disney’s top two execs have been revealed.
Because Disney is a publicly traded company, they are obligated to release a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In that filing, the executive compensations for CEO Bob Chapek and former executive chairman Bob Iger have been released. In 2021, Chapek’s compensation package totaled $32.46 million, and Iger’s compensation package totaled $45.9 million. Compensation packages include a base salary in addition to possible bonuses, stock options, and reward options.
©Disney || Bob Chapek
In 2020, Chapek and Iger’s compensation package totaled $14.1 million and $21 million respectively, due in part to Disney executives reducing their salary in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the year prior to the pandemic, Iger’s compensation package as then-CEO totaled $47.5 million.
Bob Iger ©Bloomberg
The salaries for both Chapek and Iger were for Fiscal Year 2021, which ended on October 2nd, 2021. Iger officially stepped down as executive chairman at the end of December 2021, so his 2021 salary of $45.9 million does NOT include a stock grant which was rewarded to him on December 31st which, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “was worth nine figures.”
©Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
Disney’s next earnings report and earnings call is set for February 9th, 2022, where we’ll learn more about the current financial state of the company as well as insights for the year ahead. Be sure to follow along for more of the latest news and updates!
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Talk about an embarrassment of riches. Now we know for sure why all the price increases and the Nickel and Dimming as well all the stuff that used to be free now cost extra (and they blame it on the Pandemic). Somebody’s got to pay for Chapek’s insane salary increase. Unfortunately, it is the loyal dedicated Disney guest and fans who are getting screwed and footing the bill for the two Bob’s. Meanwhile most working class Disney employee’s receive only meager raise’s that are far behind the cost of living each year. Thanks’s Bob.
This is ridiculous! I know they run a successful business but this bothers me to no end. We returned home last Saturday from our yearly trip where we stayed in the Contemporary. We had to reuse towels 4 days, never had the room cleaned and the shampoo/body wash was bolted to the wall. While we knew this going in, it still upset us because we were paying upward to $750 a night! I understand Covid and not having help but if these higher/ups were paid a reasonable salary there would be money to pay the employees a liveable wage. Then people would once again flock to work for Disney. My family have been visiting Disney every year, except last year, since 2005 and else always stay in the tower at the Contemporary;however, this will be my last stay there until things change for the better.
And we wonder why recent trips to Disney leave a bitter taste in our mouth?
Know wonder we pay thru the nose to go to Disney! That disgraceful. I’ll bet Walt didn’t want this to be this way.
Everything at Disney has gotten worse while the price has gone up. Magic lost!
We have been going to Disney World since 1976,, we always take at least 12 people with us if not more as our family has grown. We usually stay at the Polynesian, but have stayed at Animal Kingdom. No more we are done , the same, service is not what it use to be, and when you are paying top dollar i expect the service to increase not decrease.
Nice to see the CEOs and management of Disney living large while they continue to nickel and dime the rest of us to death. And a number of CMs are still on layoff and I doubt if they’re exactly raking in the big bucks either. They are pricing themselves right out of the family market. It’s pathetic when a family has to save up for years (foregoing other vacations) so they can spend 5 days at WDW or Disneyland.
We knew it all along. THEY can afford to go to Disney World, but the rest of us no longer can. Keep paying outrageous salaries and bonuses while telling us we have higher prices, less benefits, and more restrictions. It’s about the money, not the magic.
This is totally unacceptable. No one needs to make that much income, no matter who you are and who you work for. They should take a great deal of that salary and pay the working class people more who work for them. Makes me want to stop going there.
I’m in the wrong job!
I guess they can afford the Genie+ , Lightening Lane, Magic Bands, roundtrip transportation from MCO.
Funny how that works!!!!!!!
A very Dispondent DVC member
Obscene! They should be ashamed of themselves. Cast members furloughed, many not recalled, ridiculous price increases on everything, have to pay for “fast passes” or pay extra to ride certain rides…the magic is disappearing and they couldn’t care less.
Disney Board of Directors — No more Bobs, please. We guests can can’t handle the disapointment (at least there are two happy people from all the Disney changes).
It’s time they took a pay cut. They are not that big of a deal to make that much money while my family can’t even afford to go to Disney anymore. Prices are way to high, free stuff is now extra, can’t blame the Pandemic when Disney World was only closed for 3 months.
No one deserves that much salary!
Tell me they donated it to a good cause-they would still take home far more than their hardworking staff and visitors….
They should be ashamed to say they have earned that much!
Service down, dining quality down, fast passes cost, transportation from airport costs, room prices up, food prices up, magic bands up if used, entertainment down, phone use way up, parking at hotels cost, …on and on. Their salaries reflect Disney’s downhill spiral from what Walt envisioned. Such a shame.
This is just… gross. The pandemic is still going on, executive salaries still need to be cut – and should never have been this high. As long as there are laid off cast members (By form letter, no less) not being paid, this is immoral.
Neither are worth a darn and that is putting it mildly. Walt must be rolling in his grave. Both Chapek and Iger are for ‘sharing the wealth’ policies so how about practicing what they preach.
why tho?? What do you even do with that much money?? Surely run out of stuff to buy… wait…?? Did you say 9 FIGURES???
Along with those crazy salaries Disney Corp. is sitting on about 15 billion in cash, pre-pandemic they had a little less than 3 billion. They won’t reinstate their stock dividend and they keep trimming the parks budget. Chapek might be a brilliant business man but he lacks the vision the leader of Disney needs.
We have been members since 2000 of the Disney Vacation Club. I have been so disappointed over the last few years. Prices are outrageous, benefits taken away like Magical Express, Fast Passes and Magic Bands, cost for tickets, Genie +, Lightning Lane and all things Disney have gotten ridiculous. I don’t think this was the vision Walt had, he would have wanted families to be able to afford and enjoy Disney and not have it focus primarily on people who think nothing of dropping thousands of dollars to stay a Disney a few days. Certainly, people who can afford all the extra perks certainly can spend their money the way they would like. However, if someone is trying to go on a budget in 2022…it will be difficult.
It is difficult to find the words to express how sick this makes me feel and embarrassed to say I am fan of Disney. Obscene and pathetic are two of the nicer words I can use. It is clear those at the top are only interested in themselves and I am sure they all pat themselves on the back and have a round of high fives every time they can take away some magic or find a way to charge for something that had been included so they can line their pockets. They also work their cast members hard with the lowest pay and benefits possible and these front line people are supposed to “make magic” while it continues to be taken away.
I have canceled my trip that I’ve had to postpone since the pandemic started. In that time frame there have been zero discounts (for when I can go), lost my fast passes, lost my transportation, and have watched all those items accrue a price tag associated with them. I am not sure if I will ever plan a Disney World trip – their greed has sucked all the magic out of there and unless you are a Florida resident, I can’t remotely justify the cost to try to experience all the attractions when you only have 4-5 days to do it every 3-4 years. Glad Bob is getting a good payday while the rest of us get less…
I’m not just disgusted by this…I’m so SAD! I’ve always been a fan of WDW. My first visit was in November of 1971. My family went several times after that and I’ve been as an adult with my small children and then with my adult children. I’ve always argued with people who rolled their eyes at me for spending so much money to go to the same place over and over. I’ve always known it was expensive and that it takes saving and planning to make the trip. But it’s always been doable. Not any more. And with the facts about the salaries plus the price increases plus the knowledge that the corporation has not been hurt financially during the pandemic while it has hurt its employees and patrons…I don’t even WANT to make the effort to save and plan.
I’m disgusted and sad and very angry and disappointed.
The rich get richer…
Salaries like this and the average family is being nickeled and dimed to death. At this point, visiting Disney is more of an overpriced hassle than it’s worth. You need to figure out how to get to your hotel after waiting forever to pick up your baggage at the airport. You have to spend half the trip on your phone TRYING to make reservations and ride arrangements. There is no housekeeping in your outrageously overpriced room where your soap and shampoo are now bolted to the wall. The whole trip, which used to be magical in every way imaginable, is now a total disappointment on so many levels thanks to a man ( and his minions) making over 30 million dollars a year! It makes me so sad. Is it too much to ask that someone care enough to bring the magic back…
One out. One to go.
I started saving in 2018 for a trip to WDW, taking my daughter and 3 grandchildren. The pandemic hit and now the massive price increases, our trip is permanently canceled When I read about the salaries of the upper management I decided we would go elsewhere. I am a recently disabled R.N. who does okay, but with the cost of food,medication ( I had 2 medications go from $15/month each to $225/ month each ) and utilities on top of rent, WDW is now just a trip through my WDW magazine. They really need to reconsider all these price increases and who Walt built WDW for.
I honestly don’t care what they make as long as it doesn’t effect the value of what I’m buying. However all arrows are pointing to these two. What can the excuse be for all of the raised prices and cuts ?
Food and beverage increases
Hotel increases
No dining plan
No Tables in Wonderland
A charge for Fast Pass
Merchandise price increase
A charge for transportation
A charge for the cheesy bag to put your 200 dollar lightsaber in !!!
Am I leaving anything out ?
Can’t keep blaming covid.
The jig is up !
I’m seriously considering selling my DVC membership after the experiencs we had during our 12/4-12/11 vacation.
I purchase our DVC membership in 2015 because all of our previous vacations were indeed magical. The last three trips,(3/2019, 5/2021, and 12/21 had to use our points or lose our points) left a sour taste in our mouths.
ADR
DME
mousekeeping
to name just a few issues.
I hope Chapek and Igre reads these comments. I would love to go to DisneymWorld soon, but these prices have forced this trip out of my range. Disney has lost another long term customer. Very sad!
It is no longer unusual for CEO’s to make millions of dollars while their employees barely make enough to make ends meet. It used to be that CEO’s made about thirty times what their employees made, but that changed many years ago and now they make their millions on the backs of their underpaid workers. If I was a cast member, I would be so disheartened by these figures, knowing that I am barely making a living wage.
While I agree with all of the comments wholeheartedly, I would ask that everyone not dismiss Josh D’Amaro’s contribution to all of the price hikes and changes in the parks. He is the Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products and I believe HE is the one who is behind so many of these changes and price hikes. So please include him in your comments when you mention Bob Chapek as he is just as responsible, if not more so.
We have visited Disney World every other year on average for the past thirty years. Our first trip was in 1975 and we stayed at the Contemporary for about $70 a night. It was a delightful experience. Since then, we have had many magical trips to Disney World, but I can’t bring myself to plan that next trip! The main reason is all of the added expense and the addition of Genie Plus – too much to swallow. The other reason is the lack of customer service – mousekeeping is not what it used to be, benefits of staying onsite are diminished, and I detest the unnecessary Park Reservation System.