Disney layoffs: Hundreds of jobs cut across ESPN, Pixar, other units

The Walt Disney Company has laid off hundreds of employees across several parts of its business as it continues a wider restructuring under chief executive Josh D'Amaro, according to media reports.

The latest job cuts affect corporate teams, ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television (DET), and the company's film studios. Among the entertainment divisions, National Geographic has been hit the hardest within DET, while most of the layoffs on the studio side are at Pixar, the reports said.

This is the third round of layoffs at Disney this year. The workforce reduction is part of D'Amaro's efforts to reshape the company under a new "One Disney" operating structure after succeeding Bob Iger as CEO earlier this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.


ESPN has also been affected, with both editorial and on-air roles being cut. Those leaving include longtime SportsCenter anchor and Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech, who has been with the network since 1993, and football analyst Ryan Clark, a former NFL player who has worked with ESPN for more than a decade.

According to the report, most of the layoffs at ESPN are among behind-the-scenes staff and linked to the company's acquisition of the NFL Network earlier this year.

"Over the past several months, we've made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN. Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today," ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro told staff in a memo, per The Hollywood Reporter.

"While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted. We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect and to providing support as they navigate this transition," he added.

Disney had already begun reshaping its operations earlier this year. In January, the company brought all its marketing teams under CMO Asad Ayaz, a move that also resulted in job cuts across those departments.

The layoffs at Pixar come despite a strong year at the box office. The animation studio enjoyed a major theatrical recovery in 2026, with original film Hoppers and Toy Story 5 helping its feature releases generate nearly $1.4 billion in global ticket sales.