The Walt Disney Company has decided to withdraw from several of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives following pressure from America First Legal (AFL). This development comes after AFL filed a federal civil rights complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in February 2024, urging an investigation into Disney's diversity programs.
In April 2022, AFL initially challenged Disney's management for potential compliance violations. Subsequently, in March 2024, they notified Disney’s Board about the risks associated with their DEI practices. Earlier this week, Disney informed employees of its decision to eliminate numerous DEI programs targeted by AFL.
Disney has shut down its DEI website "Reimagine Tomorrow," which was highlighted by AFL multiple times in its communications. The company had announced the removal of this initiative as a priority in its 2024 Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The new website now redirects users to inclusion.twdc.com and no longer features many of the policies criticized by AFL.
The previous "Reimagine Tomorrow" site included content such as "Inclusion Standards" that applied to various Disney-produced content. It also allowed visitors to track progress towards representation goals based on race, sex, religion, and gender identity—features not present on the new site.
Furthermore, Axios confirmed that Disney will discontinue using Diversity and Inclusion as factors in executive compensation evaluations and will stop playing mandatory content advisories before certain classic films like Dumbo and Peter Pan.
America First Legal Senior Vice President Reed D. Rubinstein commented: “For far too long, Disney’s management has used the company as a megaphone for radical social propaganda." He added that AFL would continue efforts against corporate policies perceived as discriminatory.
Will Scolinos, America First Legal Counsel stated: “Disney has finally backed down after years of treating people differently based on characteristics like race and sex."
This move by Disney marks a significant shift in response to mounting criticism over its DEI strategies.