Disney Cut 300 Jobs in Third 2026 Round: Walden Calls It "Painful"

Disney eliminated more than 300 jobs in late September 2026, the company's third round of layoffs this year, and the cuts landed hardest in Human Resources and technology teams. Dana Walden, Disney's President and Chief Creative Officer, addressed the restructuring publicly for the first time on October 1 at Bloomberg's Screentime conference in Los Angeles.

"It is extremely painful," Walden said. "We've exited colleagues who I've worked with for most of my career. It is in many ways a harsh reality."

How deep do the 2026 cuts go?

The September reduction follows two earlier moves this year:

• About 1,000 jobs cut in April 2026, concentrated in marketing
• A Voluntary Early Retirement program offered to longtime executives
• The latest round of more than 300 positions, mostly in HR and technology

Together, the three actions put Disney's 2026 headcount reduction above 1,300 roles, with functions rather than creative output bearing the initial brunt. Walden described the retirement offer as "extremely generous," saying it gave long-tenured executives a say in how and when they left.

These cuts represent some of the first major structural changes since Josh D'Amaro took over as Disney CEO.

Why is Disney restructuring now?

Walden traced the problem to Disney's acquisition-driven growth. The entertainment business expanded through what she called "amazing acquisitions," and each acquired company retained its own executive layer. That structure has stopped working.

"We had to make decisions around centralizing and functioning more as a television business and not a group of silos," Walden said, adding that "there is a need to constantly evaluate how you're structured."

She also named external pressure: big technology companies moving into entertainment. "Technology set their sights on our business, and we must survive and thrive and grow," Walden said.

What does this mean for media workers?

For anyone in media, entertainment, or adjacent corporate functions, the Disney case signals where consolidation is heading. Redundant executive layers across acquired businesses are the first target; shared-services functions like HR and IT follow. Marketing roles proved vulnerable in April; the September round hit infrastructure teams.

Walden's advice to leaders at other studios facing similar decisions was direct: "I would recommend that you approach these processes with compassion and try to do the best by your colleagues."

Disney, like much of Hollywood, is cutting costs while it competes in streaming and adjusts to new technology such as AI. Fans and industry watchers alike will be tracking whether D'Amaro's next structural moves extend beyond corporate functions into the studios and experiences themselves.