The once-mighty empire of Disney, long a bastion of progressive ideology and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, is now facing a reckoning. In a stunning move, the entertainment giant is preparing to lay off 200 employees across its ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks unit, representing roughly 6% of the combined workforce. This decision, announced on March 5, is part of a broader corporate restructuring aimed at cutting costs amid plummeting ratings and a seismic shift in how Americans consume news and entertainment.
For conservatives, this moment is not just about layoffs -- it's a symbolic victory in the ongoing battle against the far-left media machine. The collapse of Disney's woke-driven strategy is a testament to the growing rejection of progressive narratives by everyday Americans. As the Overton Window shifts from far-left to center-right, the era of DEI and corporate wokeness appears to be over.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the layoffs will consolidate several ABC News programs, including the merger of "20/20" and "Nightline" into a single unit. The political and data-driven news site 538, once a darling of the progressive media landscape, is being shuttered entirely. Even the beloved "Good Morning America" is not immune, with its three-hour format now consolidated under one production team.
At Disney Entertainment Networks, which includes Freeform and FX, staffing reductions will hit program planning and scheduling. These cuts are part of a broader trend at Disney, which has been hemorrhaging money in its traditional cable and broadcast businesses as consumers abandon cable packages and advertisers flock to streaming services and digital platforms.
The timing of these layoffs is particularly telling. They come just over a week after MSNBC fired race-baiting propagandist Joy Reid, whose ratings collapsed following President Trump's re-election in November 2024. Reid's dismissal, along with Disney's cuts, underscores a broader trend: Americans are rejecting the far-left media's obsession with identity politics and conspiracy theories.
The decline of Disney's news and entertainment divisions is not happening in a vacuum. Millions of Americans have turned away from legacy media outlets, opting instead for alternative platforms like X (formerly Twitter), long-form podcasts and independent news sources. Figures like Joe Rogan have become trusted voices, offering unfiltered commentary and challenging the narratives pushed by corporate media.
This shift reflects a growing distrust of mainstream outlets, which have repeatedly misled the public on critical issues. From the Hunter Biden laptop scandal to the origins of COVID-19 and the state of the economy, legacy media has lost credibility. As one conservative commentator put it, "The left's propaganda machine has finally been exposed for what it is: a tool to manipulate, not inform."
The Trump administration's executive order banning government censorship has further empowered this new era of free thought. With the shackles of cancel culture loosened, Americans are embracing diverse perspectives and rejecting the monolithic narratives of the past.
To understand the significance of Disney's layoffs, it's important to revisit the rise of DEI and woke ideology in corporate America. Over the past decade, companies like Disney embraced progressive causes, often at the expense of their core business. DEI initiatives, once seen as a way to promote fairness, morphed into a rigid orthodoxy that prioritized ideology over merit and alienated large segments of the population.
This approach reached its peak during the Trump presidency, as corporations and media outlets doubled down on their opposition to conservative values. However, the backlash was swift and severe. Audiences began to reject the constant drumbeat of identity politics, and companies that prioritized virtue signaling over quality content paid the price.