WDWNT LLC may be compensated if you make a purchase using certain links in this article.
Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek now claims he played a key role in elevating Josh D’Amaro to Disney CEO, despite D’Amaro considering leaving the company due to concerns over Chapek’s leadership.
Chapek Takes Credit for D’Amaro’s Rise
In his new memoir to be released on September 29, 2026, by Gallery Books, Bob Chapek discusses being fired as Disney’s chief executive in 2022 after less than three years in the position.
According to The New York Times, which received an advance copy of Chapek’s memoir, Chapek claims he was the reason for Josh D’Amaro’s promotion to Disney’s current chief executive, saying, “I consistently suggested the idea of promoting him,” Mr. Chapek writes. “He had been a relative unknown in the corporate hierarchy before I singled him out.”
However, in 2022, a month after Bob Chapek was forced out as Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company, the New York Times reported that Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro was considering leaving the company. There were serious concerns that he and Alan Bergman, head of the film studio, were both about to quit as a direct result of Chapek’s actions.
Bob Chapek Rejects All Responsibility
In the memoir, Chapek also places all blame for his ousting on a relentless sabotage campaign by the man who handpicked him for the job, his predecessor and eventual successor, Robert A. Iger.
Iger, who handpicked Chapek as his successor, has since indicated the choice was his biggest regret, and he was disappointed watching Chapek’s tenure. Before Iger returned to the CEO position, the two reportedly had a falling out.
Iger attempted to retire in 2021, leaving Chapek in charge of the company. But in late 2022, the board of directors fired Chapek and brought Iger back, ultimately extending his contract through 2026.
Behind the Castle Walls: Bob Chapek’s Memoir About Disney
Bob Chapek will soon publish Behind the Castle Walls: My Thirty Years at the Happiest Place on Earth. Chapek co-wrote the memoir with Don Yaeger. It will be released on September 29, 2026, and is available for pre-order now on Amazon.
The memoir will recount his tenure with The Walt Disney Company, which began in 1993, including his two years as CEO.
For the first time ever, Bob Chapek breaks his silence on his tenure as the Walt Disney Company’s CEO, offering a behind-the-scenes account of the challenges he faced—from getting the job just weeks before a worldwide pandemic, to the shifting political landscape, to his ousting given Bob Iger’s apparent desire to return.
In 1993, Bob Chapek began his career at the Walt Disney Company as the marketing director for home video. After twenty-seven years of hard work, climbing the corporate ladder, and garnering respect across the wide variety of businesses that Disney has, he earned the most coveted (and scrutinized) position of all: In 2020, he was named CEO of the Walt Disney Company.
Born and raised in small-town Indiana by a World War II–veteran father, Chapek learned early in life that grit, resilience, and curiosity can take you far. These values are what got him to Disney. However, within weeks of starting at the top, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down parks, resorts, cruise ships, live sporting events, and film and television production, forcing Chapek to steer the billion-dollar empire through unprecedented times. The stakes were high, the decisions unforgiving, and the backlash often inordinate, leaving him wondering whether he had become the corporate scapegoat of it all. In 2022, he got his answer—Chapek was out, Iger was back in.
Was he really given a fair shot or was he set up to fail? What drove his ousting and Bob Iger’s return? What happened behind the scenes at Disney during COVID, and how did those decisions impact what we see today? Four years later, after reflection and healing, Chapek is ready to tell his story, sharing what he hopes will be his true legacy.
Even now, after everything, he’s still a lifelong fan, and wants the magic of Disney to endure for generations.
Behind the Castle Walls is a revealing and thrilling memoir of ambition, power, and corporate intrigue in the happiest company on earth.
What do you think of these claims from Bob Chapek’s memoir? Let us know on social media.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
WDW News Today (and WDWNT LLC and the WDWNT Network of websites and podcasts) has financial relationships with some of the merchants mentioned on this blog. WDWNT LLC may be compensated if consumers choose to utilize the links located throughout the content on this site and generate sales for the merchant. WDWNT LLC is compensated for certain paid links and advertisements on this blog. You are not obligated to click on any link or buy any products that are advertised.
Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs, or otherwise. Any references to third party products, rates, or websites are subject to change without notice. Please do the appropriate research before participating in any third party offers.
The post Bob Chapek Takes Credit for Josh D’Amaro’s Rise to Disney CEO Despite D’Amaro Nearly Quitting Under His Leadership appeared first on WDW News Today.
