The studio has reportedly amended some of its diversity policies to focus on business and talent instead of inclusion
Disney has made changes to some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, becoming the latest in a string of companies to do so amid US President Donald Trump’s crackdown, Axios and Variety reported on Tuesday, citing sources. According to the outlets, the changes were outlined in a note to Disney employees from chief human resources officer Sonia Coleman.
The memo reportedly stated that, starting this year, the entertainment giant will replace the ‘Diversity & Inclusion’ performance factor which it used to evaluate executive compensation with a new ‘Talent Strategy’ factor. The former focused on boosting the diversity and inclusion of Disney executives and managers, while the new policy will focus on business success and upholding company values, such as making Disney entertainment-driven instead of agenda-driven.
The studio will also ditch its controversial ‘Reimagine Tomorrow’ initiative, which it rolled out in 2021 to highlight stories and talent from “underrepresented communities.” Under the initiative, Disney reportedly planned on having 50% of its characters come from minorities and adopting inclusion standards across all the studio’s content.
The initiative came under fire last year, when it earned the company a federal civil rights complaint for discrimination and using race, color, religion, sex, or national origin as the only motivating factor in hiring decisions. The initiative will be rebranded as ‘MyDisneyToday’, and will focus on how well the company attracts top talent.
The changes to Disney’s policy follow Trump’s crackdown on DEI initiatives after he returned to office. The US president signed multiple executive orders on Inauguration Day which effectively ended DEI in the federal government.
While Trump does not have the power to force private companies to terminate their own DEI programs, one of his orders “encouraged the private sector to end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.” Trump’s actions have already affected the policies of many big-name US companies, with Target, Amazon, Meta, McDonalds, Walmart, Ford, Lowe’s and others either amending or removing their DEI programs to avoid potential legal action from the new administration.
