As the showdown between Florida’s legislature and The Walt Disney Company heated up over an education bill that liberal activists incorrectly labeled the “Don’t say gay bill,” Disney’s then-CEO called Gov. Ron DeSantis and complained about the “pressure” he faced.
DeSantis recounts the conversation in a chapter of his new memoir, “The Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for American Revival,” which will be released Tuesday by publisher HarperCollins. The chapter, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, reveals what Bob Chapek, who was Disney CEO at the time, told DeSantis as the fight over Florida’s education law heated up in the spring of 2022.
“As the controversy over the Parental Rights in Education bill was coming to a head, Chapek called me. He did not want Disney to get involved, but he was getting a lot of pressure to weigh in against the bill,” DeSantis writes.
[DeSantis claims he tried to warn Chapek about the folly of a public fight. The pressure campaign would have lasted a week, tops, DeSantis writes of his warning, but a political fight between Disney and the state of Florida would have permanent consequences. Chapek chose … poorly. — Ed]
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