Disney is trimming the fat again. This time, the company cut several hundred jobs across its entertainment divisions. Marketing, casting, publicity, and corporate finance teams took the biggest hit. No entire departments were axed, but the cuts are a clear sign: Disney is reshaping how it does business.
The layoffs are part of Disney’s plan to stay lean and move fast in a world where old-school TV is losing ground. People are not watching like they used to. They are streaming more, skipping cable, and changing the rules of the game. Disney knows it. That is why it is tightening its belt and betting big on its digital future.
Others left around the same time, but their exits were tied to contract endings, not pink slips.
However, this is not the first round of cuts, and it won’t be the last. CEO Bob Iger made that clear when he returned in 2022. He promised major changes, including shedding 7,000 jobs and slashing billions from the budget. That plan is still in motion, and this week’s layoffs are just another step.
Disney+ Is Still Growing
In March, Disney dropped another 200 staffers, mostly from ABC News and Disney Entertainment Networks. Before that, brands like Pixar, National Geographic, and Freeform also took hits. The cuts may look random, but they follow a pattern: Get lean, focus on what is working, and dump what is not.
What is working? Streaming. Disney+ is growing fast. In the first quarter of 2025, it added 126 million new subscribers. That is massive. And in the second quarter, the company pulled in $23.6 billion in revenue, a 7% jump from the same time last year.
But growth comes with pain. Legacy businesses like cable and broadcast TV just don’t bring in the money they used to. Advertisers are pulling back. Viewers are tuning out. And companies like Disney can’t afford to carry bloated teams that don’t match where the audience is going.
So, the company is making hard calls. By cutting jobs, especially at the mid and upper levels, Disney is clearing space to invest in tech, content, and platforms that reach today’s audience.
Still, layoffs sting. Hundreds of people are out of work. Longtime team members, respected execs, and behind-the-scenes talent are suddenly gone. It is rough for morale, and it raises real questions about what Disney values most right now: innovation or stability?
It is a move that many big media companies are making as they try to stay afloat in an unpredictable market.
Even as it cuts jobs, Disney keeps pushing new shows, new formats, and more streaming options. The company is not slowing down. If anything, it is doubling down on the parts of the business that are still growing. But that means leaving behind pieces of the old Disney.
It is a turning point. With streaming platforms like Disney+ and Hulu at the center of the strategy, the company is reshaping its core. That doesn’t just mean layoffs. It means a whole new way of thinking about content, marketing, and how to reach audiences who want what they want, when they want it.