Bob Iger Becomes First Executive Named a Disney Legend at D23 Ceremony
Bob Iger, the executive who shaped the modern Walt Disney Company through a decade and a half of dealmaking, was inducted as a Disney Legend at the D23 ceremony on 16 August 2026 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. At 75, Iger is the first executive ever to receive the honour — a distinction previously reserved for the company's creative talents, from animators to Imagineers to on-screen stars. Variety
The stage was crowded with names befitting the moment. Robert Downey Jr., Harrison Ford, Ellen Pompeo, and Diane Sawyer each took the podium to honour Iger, according to Variety. The introduction itself came from Josh D'Amaro, who took over as Disney's CEO in March 2026 after Iger's second and final departure from the role.
Iger's path to the Legends Plaza began far from the boardroom. He started his career in 1974 as a runner at ABC, the television network Disney would later acquire. He was named CEO of the Walt Disney Company in 2005, succeeding Michael Eisner, and over the following years engineered a series of acquisitions that redrew the studio's map: Pixar in 2006, Marvel in 2009, and Lucasfilm in 2012. Each purchase brought a new pipeline of franchises under Disney's roof.
The departure was never straightforward. Iger stepped down as CEO in 2021 after an emergency extension tied to the COVID pandemic. His successor, Bob Chapek, was ousted in 2022, pulling Iger back into the top job. He officially resigned again at the start of 2026, handing the company to D'Amaro. Iger will remain a senior advisor and board member through the end of the year.
The 2026 Legends class spans the company's breadth. Alongside Iger, Disney announced honorees including producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actress Anne Hathaway, former ESPN anchor Chris Berman, Broadway original Susan Egan, animator Eric Goldberg, and Imagineer Kim Irvine. The Walt Disney Company
The Disney Legends award itself carries its own symbolism. The trophy has three elements: a spiral for imagination, a hand for skill and craftsmanship, and a wand and star for magic. Honorees are chosen by a selection committee once chaired by the late Roy E. Disney, nephew of the company's founder. Their names are inscribed on bronze plaques lining the columns of the Disney Legends Plaza, dedicated on 16 October 1998 at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank to mark the company's 75th anniversary. D23
What makes Iger's induction stand out is the simple fact that no executive before him has been on those plaques. The Legends award was built to recognise the people who make the magic — the artists, the performers, the craftspeople. Iger's career was spent on the other side of that equation: deciding which studios to buy, which leaders to trust, and when to walk away. The committee put a dealmaker among the dreamers, and the list of people who showed up to applaud says something about how broadly his tenure touched the company. Downey Jr. arrived through Marvel. Ford through Lucasfilm. Sawyer through ABC News. Each of them, in a sense, walked through a door Iger opened.
