Ron DeSantis‘ New Book Describes Phone Call With Bob Chapek, Says Then-Disney CEO Talked Of Unprecedented Pressure To Weigh In On “Don’t Say Gay” Bill
27.02.2023 - 20:59
/ deadline.com
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ new book — a possible prelude to a 2024 presidential run — includes a chapter highlighting his efforts last year to pass a parental rights bill, dubbed the “don’t say gay” law by detractors, amid opposition from The Walt Disney Co.
Fox News Digital, which obtained the chapter, reported DeSantis’ account. The governor wrote that as controversy swirled around the proposed legislation, Bob Chapek, then the CEO of Disney, called him and talked about the pressure he was getting to speak out against the legislation.
“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 wrote.
According to the book, Chapek told the governor, “We get pressured all the time. But this time is different. I haven’t seen anything like this before.”
As the bill was making its way through the state legislature last March, many Disney employees were upset that the company was not speaking out against it. Chapek eventually reversed himself and did, and disclosed that he had talked to DeSantis. Chapek told shareholders that he called “to express our disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families.”
DeSantis said that he warned Chapek in the call that if the company got involved, “People like me will say, ‘Gee, how come Disney has never said anything about China, where they make a fortune?’” He said that he told Chapek that while the company would face “48 hours of outrage” when the bill passed and then when he signed it, the furor would dissipate.
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