The Walt Disney Company may soon eliminate thousands of additional jobs as it continues company-wide cost-cutting efforts under CEO Josh D’Amaro. According to Bloomberg‘s report on November 3, Disney has asked some managers to identify ways to reduce their annual expenses by as much as 20%. These savings could come from eliminating positions, reducing other operating costs, or a combination of both.
This could become Disney’s largest round of layoffs in 2026 and its fourth round of job cuts this year.
Disney has not announced an exact number of potential layoffs or identified which divisions will experience the greatest reductions; some areas of the company could face significantly larger cuts than others.
More Disney Layoffs Following Previous Cuts
Disney has already eliminated numerous positions throughout 2026. In April, the company cut approximately 1,000 jobs. Another round in September affected several hundred employees, primarily within human resources and technology.
More recently, Disney confirmed 159 layoffs at Walt Disney Imagineering in California, raising additional concerns about staffing as the company continues developing new experiences and theme park projects.
According to Bloomberg, D’Amaro plans to direct some of the anticipated savings toward film and television programming, technology, theme parks, and Disney Cruise Line.
Disney previously acknowledged its ongoing efforts to reduce expenses. In an August shareholder letter, D’Amaro and Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston discussed potential reductions in labor and other operating costs to support future investments. The latest reports arrive as Disney faces increasing competition in streaming, changes throughout the entertainment industry, and questions about the growing role of artificial intelligence.
Disney employed approximately 231,000 people at the end of fiscal 2025.
As Disney fans, we naturally have questions about how additional staffing reductions could affect the company’s ambitious expansion plans, as well as the future of their overall operations and quality of experiences. However, Disney has not confirmed whether these proposed cuts will affect frontline Cast Members or any previously-announced projects.
Disney will report its fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2026 financial results on November 17.
