(KTLA) – Disney has become the latest company to change its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as pressure from the Trump administration to eliminate such programs continues.
Amid the changes, Disney is also replacing the language in the content advisory disclaimers that auto-play before certain older films streaming on Disney+. The advisory, placed before films like “Dumbo” and “Peter Pan,” warned viewers that the film included “negative depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or cultures.”
“These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now,” the message had read, in part. “Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”
A new content advisory will now appear before the programs, reading, “This program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions,” according to outlets including Axios and Variety, with Disney confirming Axios’ reporting to KTLA.
In a memo to employees, Disney further indicated that the company was shifting its DEI efforts to focus on prioritizing its business goals and company values, according to Axios.
The memo also indicated that Disney’s plan for evaluating executive compensation would no longer be focused on a former “Diversity & Inclusion” factor but rather a “Talent Strategy” factor (among other metrics). The company is also implementing a new “framework” to replace its “Reimagine Tomorrow” initiative, which launched in 2021 and aimed to amplify underrepresented voices.
Both changes were described as an “evolution” of the previous initiatives.
The company is also rebranding its “Business” Employee Resource Groups — otherwise known as BERGs — into “Belonging” Employee Resource Groups, the memo stated.
The company’s DEI programs were attacked last year by Stephen Miller’s America First Legal foundation, which claimed that “initiatives to boost diversity and inclusion violate civil rights laws and have tanked the entertainment giant’s value.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger has spoken out against President Trump in the past, as Business Insider noted, but has been quieter during the president’s second term. He has previously mentioned that it’s the company’s job to entertain fans rather than advance agendas.
Read Disney’s memo in full:
Executive Leaders,
For over 100 years, Disney has entertained and inspired generations of families from all walks of life around the world. We create entertainment that appeals to a global audience, and having a workforce that reflects the consumers we serve helps drive our business. With more than 230,000 dedicated employees and Cast Members in more than 40 countries across six continents, Disney has long believed that the rich variety of talents and experiences our employees bring to their work is good for our business and enhances the experience of our global consumers, audiences, and guests.
Creating a welcoming and respectful environment for our employees and guests is core to our company culture and our business. Our values — integrity, creativity, collaboration, community, inclusion — guide our actions and how we treat each other. Today I want to provide an update on how our values are embedded in our leader compensation programs, specifically our Other Performance Factors (OPFs), as well as share some of the work that has been underway to evolve our talent strategy consistent with these values.
Other Performance Factors (OPFs): Beginning this fiscal year, we are adding a new “Talent Strategy” factor to our executive compensation planning. This factor will assess how leaders uphold our company values, incorporate different perspectives to drive business success, cultivate an environment where all employees can thrive, and sustain a robust pipeline to ensure long-term organizational strength. This new factor represents an evolution of important concepts in the former Diversity & Inclusion OPF and will be used alongside our other two OPFs, “Storytelling & Creativity” and “Synergy.”
As many of you know, we have spent the last year partnering with stakeholders across the company to discuss the evolution of our strategic framework for advancing our commitment to being welcoming, respectful, and inclusive in how we operate, so we are the best place to work. The resulting framework — which we released in December — is designed to align our initiatives with our business goals and company values, centered around four key pillars:
- People: We reach and attract the best, most talented people around the world and foster barrier-free talent processes for everyone.
- Culture: We purposefully champion a culture where everyone belongs and can contribute to our business success.
- Market Reach: We create unforgettable stories, experiences, and products that entertain and resonate globally.
- Community: We learn from and support under-served communities by establishing and investing in impactful relationships with organizations and business stakeholders.
As we developed this new framework, we looked at ways to enhance our programs and practices to strengthen our workplace environment, in service of our business. While some of you are already familiar with what’s new, we wanted to highlight some of the key developments:
- New Online Destination: In December, we added our new framework to our corporate Impact website and the Belong hub on MyDisneyToday, with a focus on our above pillars and continued progress. This new framework, rooted in our efforts to enhance our employee experience, marks the evolution of the significant work done with Reimagine Tomorrow and succeeds that branding.
- Employee Groups: Last year, we began the process of unifying and streamlining our global enterprise-wide Belonging Employee Resource Groups (BERGs) structure, and rebranded the “B” in BERG from “Business” to “Belonging” to highlight that our employee groups’ role is focused on strengthening our employee community and workplace experience.
While this will continue to evolve, what won’t change is our commitment to fostering a company culture where everyone belongs and everyone can excel, enabling us to deliver the globally appealing entertainment that drives our business.
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