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Disney’s board shocked the world when it ousted its former CEO last month bob chapek Many Hollywood creatives and Disney fans were thrilled with the reinstatement of his predecessor, Bob Iger. The move has drawn more attention than a traditional top management shakeup, as many see it as having less to do with profit or loss than with a philosophical divergence in Disney’s corporate values.
During his first tenure at the helm of the entertainment giant, Iger was known for cultivating close relationships with Hollywood talent and giving the company’s storytellers the space and resources to bring out their best ideas. His passion for brands and willingness to embrace artists has made him a hugely popular figure in Hollywood. Chapek took a very different approach, aggressively restructuring the company to cut expenses and maximize profits, at what many believe was a sacrifice of creativity and quality.
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Many actors and filmmakers have spoken out in interviews and on social media accounts about how happy they are to see Iger back. The latest star to take part in Chapek bashing? Neil Patrick Harris.
Harris was at Disney land The Candlelight Parade is narrated on Sunday nights, an EPCOT Christmas tradition with a different host every few nights during the holiday season. Some of this year’s past hosts include Chita Rivera, Josh Gad and Isabella Rossellini. But none of these hosts has been as seamlessly embroiled in controversy as Harris was last night.
In his opening remarks, Harris used the opportunity to poke fun at Chapek while poking fun at the acronym EPCOT.
“Welcome to the candlelight parade at EPCOT tonight,” Harris said. “EPCOT, an acronym. And I’m pretty sure the ‘C’ doesn’t stand for Chapek.”
For the record, EPCOT stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,” so Harris is technically correct. As the crowd full of Disney fans cheered the joke, it was clear the actor’s audience was quick to react. But the attack was clearly not planned, as at least one Disney cast member later recalled their shock on Twitter.
Watch the video below.
Watch the video of Harris speaking below.
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