Walt Disney Co. has announced a continuation of its initiative towards corporate streamlining, as The Hollywood Reporter recorded that the company is readying to cut hundreds of jobs from across the board. Supposedly, those that will be affected include; ESPN, some corporate functions, Disney Entertainment Television and film studios, Pixar, and National Geographic.
THR noted that Nat Geo is said to be the most heavily impacted out of Disney Entertainment Television, and that Pixar will be seeing the most job cuts out of the company’s film studios. Comparably, the ESPN layoffs are centered on behind-the-scenes staff, in relation to the NFL Network’s acquisition by ESPN in early 2026 – as detailed in a staff memo from ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro that THR obtained. The employees who are affected will allegedly be notified by Tuesday morning.
Notable names that are affected by the cuts, via THR and Deadline, include on-air talent Karl Ravech and Ryan Clark for ESPN and Nat Geo’s VP of Development Charlie Parsons (Activate: The Global Citizen Movement, Atlas of Cursed Places). Clark and Ravech have each decade of work with the channel with Clark having worked as one of their football coverage analysts as a former NFL player, and Ravech as host for Baseball Tonight and anchor SportsCenter after joining in 1993. Parsons has held a 15-year tenure with Nat Geo, having worked with the broadcaster on some of its most popular titles, such as Hostile Planet and Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted.
Per THR, this round of layoffs will be the third since the beginning of this year. After January saw the unification of all its marketing departments under Chief Brand Officer Asad Ayaz (Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine), and April’s far larger restructuring through new CEO Josh D’Amaro, the continued movement to downsize highlights Disney’s intent to keep up with the fast-shifting entertainment landscape.
Via THR, D’Amaro remarked on the restructuring movement in an April memo, coining the “streamlining” outlook:
“Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney. […] Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs.”