Disney is preparing thousands more job cuts, with some managers asked to find as much as 20% in annual savings. It would be at least the fifth round of layoffs since April.
Disney is getting ready for another, bigger round of layoffs.
The company is moving toward thousands of job cuts, Bloomberg reported Monday night, Nov. 2. Some managers have been asked to target as much as 20% in annual cost savings, according to people familiar with the plans.
Those savings could come from eliminating jobs and from cutting other expenses, Bloomberg reported. The cuts are expected across several divisions, including the TV networks and the movie studio, in different amounts, Deadline reported.
Disney declined to comment to both outlets. The exact timing isn't clear yet.
Why is Disney laying off more employees?
CEO Josh D'Amaro has made cost cutting a priority since he replaced Bob Iger on March 18. He wants to put part of the savings back into film and TV, technology, the theme parks and the cruise line, Bloomberg reported.
D'Amaro talked about that plan on Disney's last earnings call in August. When teams work more efficiently, he said, it "frees up capital to reinvest aggressively" in new content and guest experiences.
Disney has also promised Wall Street double-digit growth in adjusted earnings per share this fiscal year.
Disney President Dana Walden addressed the ongoing cuts at Bloomberg's Screentime conference last month. "There is a need to constantly evaluate how you're structured," she said. She pointed to tech companies moving into the entertainment business as one reason.
Disney isn't alone. Netflix, Sony Pictures, Paramount and Warner Bros. have also cut jobs as traditional TV shrinks and streaming growth slows, Bloomberg noted.
How many Disney layoffs have there been in 2026?
This has been a steady year of cuts. Here's how the year has gone, according to Deadline:
April: about 1,000 roles eliminated.
July: several hundred more, with Pixar and National Geographic among the hardest hit.
August: Disney offered longtime executives a voluntary early retirement package. More eligible managers took it than expected, Deadline's sources said.
Late September: a couple of hundred layoffs, mostly in tech and human resources.
Last week: 100 to 200 jobs in Disney Experiences, the division that runs the parks and cruise line, mostly at the Walt Disney Imagineering campus in Glendale, California.
A California state filing showed 159 of those Imagineering layoffs take effect Dec. 29.
Disney's chief people officer, Sonia Coleman, warned in an August memo that staff reductions had "already begun in some areas and will continue into next year."
Will the new Disney layoffs affect the theme parks?
It's not clear yet. Bloomberg listed the theme parks among Disney's businesses but didn't say which teams will face the deepest cuts. Deadline named the TV networks and the movie studio.
Neither report said whether front-line cast members at Walt Disney World or Disneyland would be affected. Neither named any delayed or canceled park projects.
D'Amaro ran the parks division before he became CEO. His plan calls for putting some of the savings back into the parks and Disney Cruise Line, Bloomberg reported.
Has Disney done layoffs this big before?
Yes. Disney has cut billions of dollars in costs and thousands of jobs in recent years, Bloomberg reported, with reductions reaching ABC, ESPN, Pixar, the film studio and the parks division.
The biggest recent round came in 2023, when Iger announced about 7,000 job cuts as part of a $5.5 billion cost-savings plan.
How many people work for Disney?
About 231,000 people worldwide as of the end of Disney's last fiscal year, according to Bloomberg.
The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 1 that Disney was planning a restructuring of its TV division, along with cuts in its legal and global affairs unit.
Disney hasn't said how many jobs this round will include or when employees will be notified.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Bloomberg (Nov. 2, 2026), the thousands of job cuts, the 20% savings targets, D'Amaro's reinvestment plans, the head count and Walden's comments
Deadline (Nov. 2, 2026), the TV and studio divisions, the 2026 layoff timeline, Coleman's memo and D'Amaro's earnings call comments
The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 1, 2026), the TV restructuring report, via Bloomberg
WDW News Today and BlogMickey (Oct. 30, 2026), the 159-person Imagineering WARN notice
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