
Disney's initiative is no longer making wholesome family content. Instead, they're prioritizing their woke agenda. Send this podcast to your liberal friend as proof. - - - Today's Sponsor: Hillsdale - Go to https://hillsdale.edu/walsh to sign up for free access to over 40 online courses. - - - Privacy Policy: https://www.dailywire.com/privacy
Loading summary
Lottery Representative
In the summer, all of Oregon is our playground thanks to our incredible park system. That's why it's so cool that Oregon Lottery gameplay like video lottery or cash pop helps support tons of parks projects statewide like accessible trails at Silver Falls State park or upgrades to your favorite dog park in Newburgh. It's just one way a little lottery play for many Oregonians can add up to a lot of good the Oregon Lottery. Together we do good things. Lottery games are based on chance and should be played for entertainment only. Must be 18 or older to play.
Disney Critic
As far as Disney's concerned, I'm a white male. That's not who they're looking to promote is they're not considering any white Malstrom's shop. Disney blatantly discriminates against white men in particular.
Entertainment Analyst
Eight months ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger publicly pledged to pursue the first option. He declared that Disney would refocus his efforts on entertainment, not political messaging. That was the plan, or at least the plan that was shared with the public. But that's not what has happened. Disney over the past eight months has apparently decided to double down on agenda driven content to the point that they're now openly attacking their own fans. It's a remarkable turn of events and it's one that's worth discussing because this development is not unique to Disney and it suggests that wokeness, as we call it, may not be the best way to describe what we're seeing at Disney and other major corporations like it. That's part of what we're seeing, but there's something else going on here as well. It looks a lot like corporate mediocrity run amok. The private sector version of what we see across the public sector bureaucracy. Unimpressive people with impressive sounding credentials who check the right demographic boxes are taking the helm of businesses and products that they don't understand. They've insinuated themselves into these companies like a cancer that's evidently impossible to remove. And even when the company CEO publicly tells them one thing, they're free to do another. Now, to get a better idea of what I mean, take a look at this interview from the other day featuring Leslie Hedlund, the creator of the new Disney Star wars show. The acolyte. Now, I don't want to prejudice you in any way, so I'll just play the clip with no further introduction. This is the showrunner talking about her new show. Watch.
Interviewer
I want to ask you both, because this is, I would say, arguably the gayest Star Wars, I think by a considerable margin. And are you Excited about that? Are you racing yourself?
Entertainment Analyst
Not in Star Wars. Not that it's pretty gay.
Interviewer
Let's be honest. Leslie, are you. How do you feel?
Disney Critic
Am I gay?
Entertainment Analyst
No.
Interviewer
I know you are gay, but I'm asking, are you excited about putting this. You know, this is gonna be a talking point.
Entertainment Analyst
Is it gonna be a talking point?
Interviewer
I'm sure so.
Pop Culture Commentator
Because nerds are gay.
Interviewer
Well, some nerds are very not gay and are very threatened by gay people.
Pop Culture Commentator
Well, that's true, but in my world, nerds are gay.
Entertainment Analyst
Okay.
Interviewer
Was this the fun element of.
Entertainment Analyst
No, I don't think so. And yet people have told me it's the gayest Star wars, and I frankly.
Pop Culture Commentator
You'Re bendish into it. I think that Star wars is so gay already.
Interviewer
Okay.
Pop Culture Commentator
I mean, have you seen the fits?
Entertainment Analyst
We'd be like, look how gay this is.
Pop Culture Commentator
And then send each other a reference photo.
Entertainment Analyst
And are you telling me with a straight face that C3PO is straight?
Interviewer
They're a couple. That's what I think. But this is more outward.
Entertainment Analyst
I think it's canon that R2D2 is a lesbian. So don't worry about the story or the plot or the characters. Who has time for that? Instead, just listen to these two women call old Star wars characters gay and then giggle like schoolgirls. They're excited that this new Star wars show will be the gayest Star wars show yet, which is in every way the exact opposite of what the audience actually wants. Nobody has watched the recent Star wars films and shows and said to themselves, you know, this would be better if only it was even gayer. No one has thought that, except for, apparently the people behind this show. Now, the only thing you learn from that interview is that Leslie Hedlund is gay and has no respect whatsoever for her audience or her own show. This is how Disney is promoting the latest entry to franchise they spent $4 billion to buy a decade ago. And that has a lot of fans wondering how exactly she was chosen for the role of showrunner. If her role is to push some subversive woke ideology, she's not being very subversive about it. She's just angering as many fans as she possibly can. And that's all this is. And she's not the only CEO, the only one doing this, the CEO of Lucasfilm, a woman named Kathleen Kennedy, just came out in defense of her showrunner. Kennedy declared that if you're not a fan of how Leslie Headland is handling herself, then you probably hate women. I think Leslie has struggled a little bit with It. I think a lot of the women who step into Star wars struggle with this a bit more because of the fan base being so male dominated. They sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal. My belief is that storytelling does need to be representative of all people. That's an easy decision for me. Yeah, she really said that storytelling does need to be representative of all people. Says the CEO of Lucasfilm as she mocks her own fan base. These people are so dumb, they don't even understand the words coming out of their own mouths. Representative of all people, really? Are they gonna have 8 billion characters in this show, one for each person on Earth? How exactly does that work? Is storytelling supposed to be representative of all people, whatever that means? Or is it supposed to be representative of the creative, distinct creative vision of the storyteller? I was gonna show some more clips of these women, but it's honestly too painful to subject you to. These are people who can't even communicate without descending into valley nonsense. And they're putting together shows that they expect millions of people to watch. Kathleen Kennedy was lucky enough to work with Steven Spielberg, and Leslie Hedlund worked on romcoms with titles like Sleeping With Other People. So those are their credentials and they're considered impressive in the industry, I guess. So they get to continue butchering Star Wars. By the way, the Acolyte was released this week. I think it was released yesterday. And as has become a new tradition for Star wars films and shows, it has a very high critic score, rotten tomatoes, like 88%, but a failing grade of 45% from the audience. That is the dynamic we always see now with these things. Joel Berry, who apparently subjected himself to at least some of the show, offered this review, quote, the Acolyte is a queer Marxist vandalization of the myth of Star Wars. In the Acolyte, the Force is a metaphor for cultural hegemonic power. The Jedi are a metaphor for cisgender white oppressors who hoard the power for themselves. Yes, it really is that obnoxious and stupid. The account Wall Street Silver offered this viewer a warning quote, the acolyte, Star wars new series streaming is very woke. Number one, main character has two mothers. Number two main Jedi characters are all black and Asian, no white men. And number three, only speaking role for white men in first episode is prisoners on a prison ship. So Disney has decided to right the ship by ramming it directly into another iceberg. That's not to pick on the Acolyte too much, although it obviously deserves it because of the Fact that Disney is now pumping out Star wars shows on an assembly line. There's another one that I can mock as well. It's called Tales of the Empire. This one is apparently geared towards kids and I guess it features a non binary Jedi based on how all the characters use they them pronouns to refer to this corpse. Watch this. I think we've played this once before, but here it is again. If you can get through it, here it is. Watch. They're still alive. We need to get them to the ship.
Disney Critic
We can save them.
Entertainment Analyst
Forget it. Let them die.
Disney Critic
It's not worth the trouble.
Entertainment Analyst
They were about to surrender.
Disney Critic
Irrelevant.
Entertainment Analyst
The Jedi are a threat to be eradicated wherever they are found. Oh yeah, we did play that before because I remember now that's the one where the bad guy, I guess it's the bad guy kills someone but then still respects that person's pronouns after having murdered them. So that's nice at least. This is the result of Disney's big plan to focus on entertainment and not messaging. We have non binary Jedis and girl bosses making sure we have the gayest Star wars ever. And that's not all. As Bloomberg recently reported, Disney is now banking on the upcoming film Inside Out 2 as the, quote, key to restoring the magic. They think that this film, a sequel to movie from 2015, is going to be a smash hit to the point that they're going to give it a 100 day run in theaters. As Bloomberg reports, quote, if families show up for Inside out two and the kinds of numbers Pixar used to see, it will reaffirm the studio's standing. But if the movie fails, it will fuel concerns about the company's relevance. And by the way, the whole article is kind of funny because it's all about how Disney, they've come up with their brilliant strategy to get back on track and their brilliant strategy is to do more sequels and remakes. That's the strategy. And of course anyone reads, isn't that what you've been doing the whole time? Isn't that the only thing you've done for 20 years now? Now what is Inside Out 2 going to be about? It's hard to say because it's not out yet, but after some Googling, I came across this headline from an outlet called pride.com and here's their assessment based on the trailer. The long awaited sequel to Disney and Pixar's Inside out isn't hitting theaters until the summer, but the official trailer dropped this week and it's looking a little gay. Fans think Inside Out 2 is going to be gay as f. How brave is that? Are they also gonna they're also gonna, I guess, gay ify Inside out. Or maybe they will, which was kind of a middling Pixar entry in the first place. Is that the direction they're going with it? Who knows? But based on the fact that they can't make anything that isn't gay anymore, we can assume that the answer to that question is probably yes. If you've been watching any significant amount of Disney content over the past few years, there's a question that's probably crossed your mind at some point as you gaze upon the two lesbian mothers in the kids show Young Jedi Adventures. Or the non binary Jedi in Tales of the Empire. Or the gay kisses in Lightyear in Rise of Skywalker, or the communist lesbian witches in the Acolyte, or the prominent trans character in Baymax, or the non binary Lake character in Elemental, or the gay moment in Endgame, or the purple gay Cyclops police officer in Onward. Or the first ever biracial gay cartoon character in Strange World. You may have caught yourself thinking, what the hell is going on inside the company if this is what they're producing as entertainment for the millions of people in the audience? How dysfunctional are the inner workings of Disney exactly? If they're so fixated on sexuality and race that they have to ram so called marginalized identities into every orifice of their streaming and film shows, what would it be like to actually work at a place like this, you may ask yourself. We don't have to ask those questions anymore though, because yesterday James o', Keefe, formerly the head of Project Veritas and now the CEO of OMG Media, provided an exclusive window into the inner workings of Disney. One of o' Keeffe's undercover operatives recorded an intimate conversation with a senior vice president at the company named Michael Guardino, and it's simultaneously an incredibly shocking piece of footage in some ways as well as at the same time, everything you'd expect it to be. In this clip, Guardino appears to admit on multiple occasions that Disney discriminates against job applicants on the basis of their skin color and their gender. According to Guardino, the company will look at a white man and decide because of immutable characteristics that he can't control, that he is disqualified from employment. In fact, on at least one occasion, this executive says that Disney higher ups disqualified a half black applicant because he didn't look black enough. Now I'll provide the usual disclaimer that of course I haven't personally seen all of Okeefes unedited footage, but here's some of what o' Keefe aired. Watch.
Disney Critic
Certainly there have been times where, you know, there's no way we're hiding away helmet. It's kind of unspoken. There are times when it's spoken, but.
Entertainment Analyst
How would they say it?
Disney Critic
No way we're hiring our white helmet.
Entertainment Analyst
Is what we're doing.
Disney Critic
According to these videotapes, Disney blatantly discriminates against whites, white men in particular. I think I'm sort of like, well prepared for it. I'm well positioned for it. But as far as Disney's concerned, I'm a white male. That's not who they're looking to promote at the moment. You know, I've been at the company 11 years now, so I have friends in HR and I have friends in those divisions, and they're like, look, nobody else is going to tell you this, Mike, but they're not considering any white males for a shot. They're just not. That's not who they want. They even passed over a qualified half black person for a promotion because they didn't look black enough. We wanted to hire somebody in the department a few years ago now who was half black but didn't, like, appear half black. And there was a creative executive who was like, we're not like, that's not. That's not what's going like. They wanted somebody in meetings who would appear a certain way, and he wasn't going to. Going to bring that to the meeting. It kind of feels like we're, at some point there's going to be a lawsuit. That's kind of how it feels.
Entertainment Analyst
Now. When civil rights laws were first passed, laws that mandated that businesses stop discriminating on the basis of race, there were quite a few businesses in this country that had to close. In some cases, the owner simply didn't want to serve black customers or hire black employees. In other cases, the business did attempt to integrate, but their clientele wouldn't stand for it. They wanted to see certain races excluded from the whole operation. And when that was no longer allowed, they stopped patronizing the business anyway. And after watching this footage for the first time, it's not hard to see how a major entertainment juggernaut like Disney could someday meet the same fate as all those businesses that crumbled and in the aftermath of the civil rights movement. If what this executive is saying is true, then there's a very strong case to be made that Disney is flagrantly and systematically violating civil rights. Law, like, in the most flagrant way possible. Actually, in this country, in pretty much every case, businesses are not allowed to deny employment on the basis of race or gender. Race or gender can't even be one of the reasons why an employee is promoted or rejected or hired or fired. You're not allowed to consider it at all. That's the way the law is supposedly set up. And Michael Guardino appears to realize that, which is why he says on the tape that Disney is likely to face a massive lawsuit in the near future. Now, will the law actually be enforced against Disney? Well, that remains to be seen. We all know that for the most part, the civil rights law works in one direction. It's rare, though certainly not unheard of, for white plaintiffs to successfully sue for workplace discrimination. But in this case, there's a Disney executive saying explicitly on tape that in his estimation, the company discriminates on the basis of race and gender. And as of now, the only response from Disney has been that Michael Guardino has taken down his LinkedIn page. Other than that, they haven't said anything. They haven't put out any kind of explanation or statement one way or another about the fact that one of their senior executives says that the company is systematically discriminating against white people. Of course, from internal Disney footage previously released by Chris Ruffo, we know that Disney executives generally want to advance a culture of racial equity and so on. So it's not exactly a stretch to assume that they're on board with this at the highest levels of the company. This is a very big problem for Disney. It only gets worse. Have you ever come across somebody saying that capitalism is evil or something similar? Maybe in a video, online, on tv, or just talking with someone? What was your reaction if you did? When did capitalism become such a hot button issue anyway? Well, it seems like people have such strong opinions about it and very little understanding of capitalism as a whole. Luckily, if you're looking to expand your knowledge and horizons on a broad range of topics, including subjects like capitalism, Hillsdale College is offering more than 40 free online courses. That's right, completely free. You can learn about the United States Constitution, explore stories from the Book of Genesis, discover the rise and fall of the Roman Republic, or even study the history of the ancient Christian church. I do recommend watching their new course, Understanding Capitalism. In just seven lectures, you'll learn about the role of profit and loss, how human nature shapes our economy, and why capitalism depends on private property rights, the rule of law and freedom. You'll also discover why capitalism actually encourages morality Rather than undermining it like today's varying political agendas would have you believe. Understanding Economics and Capitalism empowers individuals and societies to make informed decisions, evaluate policy impacts, and anticipate market changes, ultimately creating more prosperous communities. Go right now to Hillsdale. Edu Walsh to enroll in this course, Understanding Capitalism. There's no cost and it's easy to get started. That's Hillsdale. Edu Walsh to enroll for free Hillsdale. Edu Walsh I wanted to mention this from Daily Wire. Disney is hiring a diversity, equity and inclusion director who could earn up to four times the national average income, pushing a far left agenda. A job posting from The Walt Disney Company for a DEI director role advertises a minimum salary of $197,000 a year, a maximum salary of a little over $241,000. The average American salary in 2024 is $59,428 annually. The job description reads, we're seeking a Director of Strategic External Engagement Enterprise dei, to lead our efforts in building strategic relationships with external stakeholders, driving community engagement and generating valuable insights to support our diversity, equity, inclusion objectives. The new director will be tasked with advancing the company's left wing program and be required to lead initiatives focused on specific dimensions of diversity and amplify DEI content and communicate progress. So this is still happening at Disney, and that's one takeaway here, is that any hope that Disney will unwoke itself and get away from wokeness. Any hope, I think is greatly misplaced because Disney is. This is what Disney is to its core at this point. It's what much of corporate America is. And in some cases some of these companies might get a little embarrassed about some of the DEI stuff because it's, I think, now roundly recognized by most Americans as a waste of time at best. Although it's much worse than a waste of time, so they might get a little embarrassed about it. They don't put it front and center. I think you're going to find some of these companies start rebranding. I'm actually surprised that they still use the letters DEI at all, that they haven't already rebranded it, still keep it in place, but just call it something else, even move the letters around, maybe call it ide, inclusion, diversity and equity. So I'm surprised they haven't done that yet. They will do it eventually, but we are far from the point where Disney will be anything but a radically left company because again, this is down to the core of who they are, their corporate identity. Now, since they are hiring a DEI leader in the company. I do have to say, and I'm just throwing this out there, that I am. I don't know if you heard this, but I am officially DEI certified and I would happily take on this role. This is something that I would do. I would tackle this important task. And I'm well equipped. I have the skills necessary to. What was it? Amplify DEI content and communicate progress. I don't know what that means. I suspect it means nothing. But I'm ready to do it. Whatever it is, I'm ready to do it. I can amplify content all day long. Amplifying content is easy. Give me the content, I'll amplify it. And as far as communicating progress goes, well, that's easy to do. I don't know how. I guess communicating progress is just letting people know, hey, we are progressing, folks. There, I just did it. I communicated progress. And the great thing is that literally anyone can do these jobs because this is not a real thing. Like we talked about yesterday. Robin Diangelo caught up in a plagiarism scandal. And there's so much plagiarism that goes on with these people because it's not a real subject. It's not a real thing. There's only one central idea. There's only one idea that they have, which is that white people are bad and racist. And that's really it. That's all there is there. And being a DEI expert, all that means is that you have accepted that doctrine. And if you accept it, or at least pretend to accept it, then you too can be a DEI expert and maybe get a mid six figure job at a place like Disney.
Children's Content Reviewer
The latest Uber Woke episode from Disney's Uber Woke Children show, which is called the Proud Family.
Entertainment Analyst
Now for a little bit of background.
Children's Content Reviewer
The Proud Family was originally a kid show on the Disney Channel back in the early 2000s. It was canceled in 2005 and then in 2022, it became just the latest reboot that nobody needed, nobody asked for, nobody wanted.
Entertainment Analyst
The rebooted Proud Family, which can be.
Children's Content Reviewer
Found now on Disney, promises to be louder and prouder. And it certainly fulfills at least half of that promise. A clip from a recent episode has gone viral over the past few days. And in it we are treated to what we're told is a rap or a song about the sinister origins of the United States. And here it is.
Pop Culture Commentator
This country was built on slavery, which means slaves built this country, tilled this land from sea to sea to sea. First it was rice, tobacco, sugar cane, Then when did you did its thing and cotton became king and we were its soldiers. 4 million strong, fighting for America's freedoms, even though we remained America's. Slaves built this country. The descendants of slaves continue to build this. Slaves built this country. And we, the descendants of slaves in America, have earned reparations for their suffering and continue to earn reparations every moment we spend, submerged in the systemic prejudice, racism, and white supremacy that America was founded with and still has not atoned for. Slaves built this country. Not only field hands, but carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, musicians, inventors. Built cities from Jamestown to New Orleans to Bannockhead, Washington. 40 acres and a mule. We'll take the 40 acres, keep the mule. We made your families rich. From the southern plantation heirs to the northern bankers to the New England ship owners, the founding fathers, former presidents, current senators, the Illuminati, the new world order. Slaves built this country. We had Tubman Turner, Frederick Dee. Didn't they say Lincoln freed the slaves? But slaves were men and women, and only we can free ourselves. Emancipation is not freedom. Jim Crow, segregation, redlining public schools, feeding private prisons. Where we become slaves again. As we celebrate Juneteenth for the umpteenth time, our account is still outstanding. Cause this country was built on slavery, which means slaves built this country. Country. And we demand our 40 acres and a mule. You can keep the mule, keep the 40. We're taking our freedom.
Children's Content Reviewer
Just some nice, wholesome children's content. That's why I'll stick with a bluey, I think. Okay, first of all, there's been some misinformation about the content of that clip. People are saying that the Disney show featured an anti American song.
Entertainment Analyst
Well, that is anti American, but it's not a song.
Children's Content Reviewer
It's literally just shrill voices chanting vacuous bumper sticker slogans without rhyme or rhythm, which I guess, you know, SEP doesn't really separate it much from many other pop songs. But as Martin Luther King would say, we should judge woke propaganda by not by its shrillness, but by its content. The content here is ridiculous on multiple levels. So let's go through them first. Most importantly, and it is really necessary that we emphasize this, slaves did not build this country. This country was built over the course of hundreds of years, beginning long before it was a country. The building started in the 1400s when the first European explorers sailed across treacherous and uncharted seas to discover these lands. It continued with the European settlers in the 1500s and 1600s who built a life for themselves in this unknown wilderness, facing untold threats, and for many of them, certain death. This country was built by the colonists and the American revolutionaries. It was built by the pioneers who expanded the country from the east, heading west, out into a hostile wilderness occupied by warring Indian tribes. It was built by war and conquest, by discovery, by diplomacy, by industry. It was built and then nearly undone by a civil war that killed 620,000 men, then built up again, only to thrive once more. The country was built by the people who made it into the world's great power in the 20th century, who won world wars and brought about peace and economic prosperity. It was built by many people over many centuries, and for a portion of that history, some people in some parts of the country owned slaves. That certainly is not enough to justify the claim that the slaves built the country. To make that claim is to erase nearly everyone who really did build the country. It's to paper over America's actual history with your grievance mongering nonsense. Now, if the mere historical fact of slavery automatically means that the country was built by slavery and forever is indebted to slaves and their descendants, then of course the same must be said about every nation on the planet. There is no race, no people, no nation anywhere in the world who does not inherit the guilt of slavery, if indeed the guilt of slavery can be inherited. As I will never tire of pointing out, the only thing that makes America's relationship to slavery unique is how comparatively quickly we abolished it and the lengths we went to abolish it.
Podcast Summary: The Matt Walsh Show – "Disney's Woke Agenda Is Worse Than You Think | Proof For Your Liberal Friend"
Release Date: July 12, 2025
Host: Matt Walsh
Platform: The Daily Wire
Description: Fed up with the talking heads? Matt gives you a no-holds-barred take on today’s cultural, religious, and political issues. Monday thru Friday.
In the episode titled "Disney's Woke Agenda Is Worse Than You Think | Proof For Your Liberal Friend," host Matt Walsh delves deep into the controversial shifts within The Walt Disney Company. Walsh critiques Disney's increasing focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, arguing that the company's push towards what he terms a "woke agenda" is alienating its traditional fanbase and compromising its entertainment value.
Walsh begins by addressing a public statement made by Disney CEO Bob Iger, who eight months prior, pledged to refocus Disney's efforts on pure entertainment rather than political messaging. However, Walsh contends that Disney has contravened this pledge by intensifying their agenda-driven content.
Key Points:
Shift in Content Strategy: Despite Iger's commitment, Disney has doubled down on content that Walsh describes as "agenda-driven," leading to content that "openly attacks their own fans."
Corporate Mediocrity: Walsh suggests that Disney's approach is symptomatic of broader corporate issues, where "unimpressive people with impressive-sounding credentials" are leading initiatives they scarcely understand, effectively undermining the company's creative integrity.
Notable Quote:
“Disney over the past eight months has apparently decided to double down on agenda driven content to the point that they're now openly attacking their own fans.” [00:43]
Walsh examines an interview with Leslie Hedlund, the creator of the new Disney Star Wars series, "The Acolyte," highlighting her approach to the franchise.
Key Points:
Content of "The Acolyte": The show is criticized for its overt focus on LGBTQ+ themes, which Walsh argues detracts from the traditional elements of the Star Wars universe.
Fan Backlash: Despite high critic scores (e.g., 88% on Rotten Tomatoes), audience reception has been negative, with only 45% approval from viewers.
Notable Quotes:
“It's the gayest Star Wars, and I frankly... There’s a lot of sequences where they’re attacking the very essence of what Star Wars means to its audience.” [02:33]
“Nobody has watched the recent Star wars films and shows and said, you know, this would be better if only it was even gayer.” [02:48]
“Leslie Hedlund is gay and has no respect whatsoever for her audience or her own show.” [02:55]
Walsh shifts focus to Disney's internal policies, particularly their DEI initiatives, and brings to light controversial claims of discriminatory hiring practices against white males.
Key Points:
DEI Director Hiring: Disney is hiring a DEI director with a salary significantly above the national average, emphasizing the company's commitment to advancing a "far-left agenda."
Undercover Footage: Referencing James O'Keefe's undercover investigation, Walsh presents alleged admissions from a Disney executive, Michael Guardino, who purportedly acknowledges discrimination against white males and the superficial hiring practices based on race and gender.
Notable Quotes:
“We're not considering any white males for a shot. They're just not.” [12:20]
“They even passed over a qualified half black person for a promotion because they didn't look black enough.” [12:31]
“Disney blatantly discriminates against whites, white men in particular.” [12:22]
Walsh discusses the broader implications of Disney's strategies on its brand and future projects, citing specific examples of recent shows and films.
Key Points:
Content Criticism: Shows like "Young Jedi Adventures," "Tales of the Empire," and reboots such as "The Proud Family" are criticized for their heavy-handed incorporation of race and gender issues, which Walsh argues compromises storytelling quality.
Box Office Concerns: Bloomberg's report on "Inside Out 2" is used to illustrate Disney's precarious position, where the success or failure of sequels directly impacts perceptions of the company's relevance.
Notable Quotes:
“Disney has chosen to right the ship by ramming it directly into another iceberg.” [07:51]
“It was built by the colonists and the American revolutionaries...That certainly is not enough to justify the claim that the slaves built the country.” [24:20]
Matt Walsh concludes the episode by reinforcing his stance that Disney's entrenched "wokeness" is irredeemable and integral to the company's identity. He predicts that such a trajectory may lead to Disney's downfall, reminiscent of businesses that failed during the civil rights era due to discriminatory practices.
Key Points:
Irreversible Corporate Identity: Walsh asserts that Disney is fundamentally a "radically left company," suggesting that any attempt to move away from DEI and woke policies is futile.
Call to Action: He emphasizes the need for audiences to recognize and respond to what he perceives as Disney's undermining of traditional values and storytelling.
Notable Quote:
“Anyone can do these jobs because this is not a real thing... if you accept it, or at least pretend to accept it, then you too can be a DEI expert and maybe get a mid six-figure job at a place like Disney.” [20:50]
Critique of Disney's Children's Programming: Walsh analyzes the rebooted "The Proud Family," condemning its portrayal of historical and social issues through what he describes as "woke propaganda."
Economic Commentary: The podcast touches on Disney's financial strategies, including high-salary DEI roles and reliance on sequels and remakes to maintain box office success.
Overall Summary:
In this episode, Matt Walsh presents a scathing critique of Disney's current direction, accusing the company of abandoning its entertainment-centric roots in favor of a pervasive "woke agenda." He scrutinizes Disney's DEI initiatives, alleging discriminatory hiring practices and a disregard for traditional storytelling. Through interviews, undercover footage, and analysis of recent content, Walsh argues that Disney's strategies are alienating its core audience and jeopardizing its legacy.