Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek Writing Tell-All Memoir

Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek is writing a tell-all memoir about his life and carrer, including his three decades at the entertainment giant and the “high-stakes maneuverings that unraveled behind the scenes from his 2020 appointment to his subsequent dismissal in 2022.”

The book, entitled “Behind the Castle Walls: My 30 Years At The Happiest Place On Earth,” will be released on Sep. 29, according to Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books, which serves as its publisher. Chapek’s book is a collaboration with Don Yaeger.

Chapek was elevated to the role of Disney CEO just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the globe, forcing closures of the company’s theme parks and cruise ships and shuttering live sporting events and film and television production, leaving thousands of employees out of work.

Following a number of PR debacles, including his mishandling of the situation around Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law in 2021, a lawsuit by Marvel star Scarlett Johansson early on during COVID and the sudden dismissal of respected Disney streaming and television leader Peter Rice, Chapek would be ousted from Disney and his predecessor-turned-successor Bob Iger would return to the company in late 2022.

“Was he really given a fair shot or was he set up to fail? What drove his ousting and Bob Iger’s return? What happened behind the scenes at Disney during COVID, and how did those decisions impact what we see today? Four years later, after reflection and healing, Chapek is ready to tell his story, sharing what he hopes will be his true legacy,” the book’s description states.

More to come…