Earlier this year, CEO Bob Iger announced 7,000 job cuts would be coming to Disney as part of the company’s goal to reduce spending by $5.5 billion.

An initial wave of layoffs were announced this week, including Mark Levenstein, SVP Production for Hulu; Elizabeth Newman, VP of Development at 20th Television; and Jayne Bieber, SVP Production Management & Operations for Freeform. And now, a longtime Disney publicist and spokesperson has shared that he is among them.

Jeffrey R. Epstein, whom many of us first met as D23’s DisneyGeek, eventually achieved the role of Vice President of Corporate Communications at Disney. Epstein also eventually became a spokesperson for the Official D23 Disney Fan Club, and was co-host of the D23 Inside Disney podcast.

He shared the news on the March 30th episode of the podcast.

In addition to his work with D23, Jeffrey co-founded Gay Days at Disneyland in 1998 and has continued to grow this event.

Gay Days at Disneyland in Anaheim began 22 years ago, founded by Eddie Shapiro and Jeffrey Epstein. The event drew about 30,000 visitors last year. pic.twitter.com/NNfKlQS0gL

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) May 28, 2019

In the podcast, Jeffrey shared, “My role is one of those which has been impacted by the layoffs here at Disney. I have had a wonderful time here at Disney and I hope my journey leads me back here someday. In the meantime, I’m still here for a bit, and I’m looking forward to continuing to share the latest Disney news with all of you.”

The second round of notifications for the job cuts will go out later in April. This is expected to result in a larger number of job cuts, “with several thousand more staff reductions.”

The final round of notifications is expected to go out before the start of the summer. That’ll get Disney to its target of 7,000 job cuts.

Disney CEO Bob Iger shared, “The difficult reality of many colleagues and friends leaving Disney is not something we take lightly. This company is home to the most talented and dedicated employees in the world, and so many of you bring a lifelong passion for Disney to your work here.” He offered his thanks to those who will be departing the Company.

Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by these layoffs. We’ll continue to look out for more updates on The Walt Disney Company, so stay tuned to DFB.

See CEO Bob Iger’s Statement on the Job Cuts Here

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The post Disney Vice President of Corporate Communications, Jeffrey R. Epstein, Announces He Is Among First Wave of Layoffs first appeared on the disney food blog.