Disney Plans Thousands of Layoffs as Managers Are Asked to Cut 20% of Costs

Disney is preparing a large round of layoffs, and some managers have been asked to cut their annual running costs by 20%, Bloomberg News reported on November 3, 2026. The cuts are expected to reach thousands of jobs.

The 20% target applies to "annualised expenses", meaning the yearly cost of running a team or department. Bloomberg cited anonymous sources and said some parts of Disney's operations will be hit harder than others. Disney declined to comment on the reported layoffs. Reuters has also reported the Bloomberg account.

Variety said the expected cuts would be the fourth round of job reductions in 2026 under chief executive Josh D'Amaro. It also said they would affect more staff than any of the earlier cuts this year.

Cost-cutting was already on the table. In an August 5 letter to shareholders, announcing results for the June quarter, D'Amaro and chief financial officer Hugh Johnston said they were weighing ways to lower costs, including cuts to labour and to SG&A, the company's selling, general and administrative expenses. These are the day-to-day overheads of running a business, from offices to marketing.

According to Bloomberg, D'Amaro wants to put part of the savings back into the business. The areas named were film and TV programming, technology, and the theme parks and cruise ship operations.

For the people who work across those businesses, the practical question is which teams are affected and when. Disney has not said. The company's next scheduled update is its results for the September quarter, which is its fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. Disney will report on November 17, before the stock market opens.

Anyone with a job at the company, or planning a project that depends on its studios, networks or parks, will be watching that date closely.