Bob Chapek Arouses Anger, Shock and Awe With Peter Rice’s Firing
variety.comClaudia Eller Co-Editor-in-ChiefThe abruptness and timing of Peter Rice’s firing last week by Disney CEO Bob Chapek remains a complete mystery to many, including Rice, I’m told.
The move came as a total shock to the industry and to the well-respected media executive, who is unusual in having spent his entire industry career at one studio, 20th Century Fox, and then its successor company, Disney.As everyone now knows, Rice had absolutely no idea what was about to happen when his boss called him into a meeting on June 8, and I hear he was told that Chapek wanted to discuss the Disney board meeting taking place in Orlando later this month, at which Rice was scheduled to make a presentation.Instead, in a conversation that lasted all of seven minutes, Chapek informed Rice that he was letting him go because he wasn’t a good fit for him or the “new culture” at Disney.
Rice pushed for specific examples of what Chapek was unhappy with, but no such answers were forthcoming and the meeting was ended. “Chapek just didn’t think he was his guy,” says a top industry source who is close with Rice.Rice was flummoxed, according to other people I spoke with, because ever since Chapek took over the CEO reins from Bob Iger in February 2020, he apparently has done nothing but praise Rice, repeatedly telling him how important he was to Chapek and to the Disney company.
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