Disney cuts a couple of hundred jobs in third round of 2026 layoffs

Disney has laid off a couple of hundred employees, with technology and human resources teams most affected.

The September cuts were first reported by Deadline on 29 September. They are smaller than the company's two earlier rounds of cuts this year.

The reductions fell largely on corporate HR and IT roles, and on similar teams inside different divisions, according to Variety. Disney Entertainment Television, which houses the company's US television networks and streaming series teams, was not affected. The motion picture studio was also exempt.

This is the third round of cuts in 2026 under chief executive Josh D'Amaro, who succeeded Bob Iger. In April, the company eliminated about 1,000 roles. That followed the formation of a consolidated enterprise marketing division led by chief marketing and brand officer Asad Ayaz.

In July, Disney cut several hundred more positions. Most of the studio-side losses were at animation studio Pixar, while most of the television-group losses were at National Geographic. Roles at ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television and Disney's studios were also affected in that round.

In August, Disney offered early-retirement buyouts to longtime executives as part of its ongoing cost-cutting effort. The current offer is voluntary early retirement for staff at director level or above who are at least 50 years old and have at least 10 years with the company.

The latest cuts are small against the size of the organisation. Disney had 231,000 employees at the end of fiscal 2025, including 172,000 in the US and 59,000 elsewhere. About 16% work part time and 8% are seasonal workers.

Job cuts have been a regular feature at Disney in recent years. Between 2023 and 2025, the company laid off about 8,000 workers and reported $7.5 billion in cost savings.

That history includes several hundred film, television and corporate finance roles cut around the world in June 2025, according to Reuters. It follows a round begun in March 2023 that targeted 7,000 positions as part of a $5.5 billion savings drive.

For the crews behind the programmes, the pattern matters more than any single round. Each restructuring decides which teams stay in place to make and support the next slate of films and series.