How a top Disney exec helped spark CEO’s ouster — and lure back Bob Iger

The surprise exit of former Disney boss Bob Chapek — and the just-as-surprising return of his predecessor, Bob Iger — were partly the result of behind-the-scenes maneuvering by Iger and the Mouse House’s fed-up financial chief, according to a report.

Iger, who reclaimed the title of CEO last month after installing Chapek as CEO nearly three years earlier, had quietly criticized Chapek as “incompetent” and provided an “ear” for unhappy Disney executives — including chief financial officer Christine McCarthy, the Wall Street Journal reported.

A Nov. 16 phone call from McCarthy, who was “fed up with Chapek’s performance and leadership,” was instrumental in putting Iger back on top, according to the paper. As previously reported, Chapek made a series of missteps, including how the company should be structured internally, its handling of political controversies and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this year, Hollywood heavy hitters mulled an Iger comeback, as Chapek fumbled his response to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill and upended the corporate structure of the company, reducing the power of respected Disney creative execs. In recent months, there had also been outcry from customers over price increases at Disney theme parks.

Things took a turn when Chapek bumped heads with McCarthy, a “Disney devotee who during a battle with cancer often returned to the office straight from chemotherapy sessions,” the Journal reported. The publication said some of Chapek’s decisions, including a new programming strategy meant “to shield” some of Disney’s streaming losses, rattled the exec.

By October, relations between the pair were so frayed that he didn’t include her in a board meeting. The Journal said he also told executives that she had “lost focus,” distracted by her husband’s poor health, and had become “unstable” — comments that later got back to McCarthy. People close to Chapek told the Journal that such language would be out of character for him.

On Nov. 8, Chapek painted a “rosy” picture of Disney’s financials on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, despite booking a whopping $1.5 billion loss in its streaming division. The next day, Disney stock had one of its largest declines ever. Over the course of 20 months, its share price had dropped from $201.91 a share to $86.75.

Disney’s board, upset over the financial results, and had been informally discussing replacing Chapek with board member Mark Parker, a former longtime head of Nike, the report said.

On Nov. 16, McCarthy took matters into her own hands. Without having confronted Chapek or seeking board approval, she called Iger, her longtime former boss, to gauge his interest in returning as CEO. Iger, who had grown weary of the company’s direction and his slower-paced life after Disney CEO, said he was interested in returning.

On Nov. 20, Susan Arnold, Disney’s chairman, told Chapek he was out, and a week after that, Iger found himself back at Disney’s Burbank, Calif., headquarters, addressing employees.

“I love you!” passing fans yelled, as Iger strolled onto the Disney lot, the Journal reported. Some stopped for selfies and autographs.

An ecstatic Iger was tasked to find a successor while he takes the reins for the next two years, but Disney insiders wondered if he’d stay longer.

“There aren’t any obvious successors in the wings,” an insider told The Post.

Rumored candidates include current Disney exec Dana Walden, former Disney execs Tom Staggs, Kevin Mayer, or even McCarthy.

“He’s got a big mess to clean up. It’s going to take more than two years,” the insider said. “I think he will stay longer than two years.”