The Walt Disney Company has cut several hundred jobs across its entertainment, streaming and corporate divisions, as part of a third wave of layoffs impacting Pixar, National Geographic, and ESPN.
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The New York Post reports that Pixar’s Emeryville animation studio was hit hardest within the film division, with a source telling TheWrap that roughly 116 employees were laid off despite the blockbuster success of “Toy Story 5.”
The workforce reduction is part of a structural restructuring effort under CEO Josh D’Amaro to establish a streamlined, agile organizational model, according to Fox Business.
BREAKING: MORE DISNEY LAYOFFS
Cutting hundreds of jobs today across ESPN, Pixar, National Geographic and corporate.
Third round of 2026 under new CEO Josh D’Amaro, after the Marvel cuts in April.
Anchor Karl Ravech and NFL analyst Ryan Clark are among the big names out. pic.twitter.com/fggax5Zaus
— LayoffHedge (@LayoffAI) July 21, 2026
Fox Business reports that the layoffs represent the third major round of cuts after Disney consolidated its marketing segments in January, followed by an April wave that eliminated over 1,000 roles across film and television.
A Disney spokesperson told TheWrap, “These changes are part of our continual evaluation of how we manage resources and reinvest across the company as our industry continues to evolve.”
Pixar faced the largest share of cuts within the studio division, with cuts mostly targeting production and operations.
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National Geographic faced the heaviest cuts on the Disney Entertainment Television side, affecting its cable network, editorial, and operations departments, according to Deadline.
ESPN, meanwhile, laid off behind-the-scenes staff and several noteworthy, long-tenured on-air personalities, including 33-year SportsCenter veteran Karl Ravech and analyst Ryan Clark.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, many of those cuts are tied to restructuring following ESPN’s acquisition and integration of the NFL Network.
Deadline also reports that ABC News and General Corporate experienced minor, isolated job losses across various support and corporate management teams.
Internal communications reported on by both Headline and The Hollywood Reporter state that the ongoing job cuts align with the company’s objective to manage resources efficiently amid major technological changes and shifting audience habits.
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro told employees in April, “We’re building a company that’s more agile and better equipped for how the entertainment business is changing.”
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