Bob Chapek Wrote Memoir to 'Get the Truth Out There,' Details Being Blindsided and Undermined by Bob Iger

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Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek is sharing more details on why he decided to write a memoir about his time with the company and his 2022 termination.

Chapek co-wrote the memoir with Don Yaeger. It will be released on September 29, 2026. Pre-order it now on Amazon.

Bob Chapek on CNBC

Bob Chapek appears on CNBC to talk about his new memoir and falling out with Bob Iger

Chapek appeared on CNBC on Monday, September 28, 2026, to talk more about Behind the Castle Walls: My Thirty Years at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Chapek became the CEO in February 2020, succeeding Bob Iger. However, it came to a dramatic end in November 2022 when he was fired, with Iger taking over once again.

The former Disney head claimed that he never had plans to write a book, but eventually changed his mind.

“Over time, I feel that my healing process stopped. It stopped because I couldn’t get over the edge because every time I go to the internet I see fantasy, I see rhetoric, things that have filled that void because I hadn’t said anything in the four years. Nothing. I did not give one interview.

I felt that it was certainly one sided and, frankly, not accurate, so I felt compelled to do it for my legacy. I felt like I had to get the truth out there.”

Chapek also claimed that he knew he had a “problem” when Bob Iger, another former CEO of Disney, did a 2020 interview with The New York Times, claiming that Iger “essentially reasserted himself into the position as CEO” without speaking to him or the board about it.

“I would have thought just maybe just out of pure courtesy, if there was nothing nefarious about it, [Iger] might have told me [him being fired] was coming or somebody on the board might have told me this was coming, but it wasn’t. It was a blindside on Sunday.”

Chapek spoke to Iger about the interview and felt “completely undermined” and like “a death of a thousand cuts.”

Watch the full Bob Chapek interview here.

Chapek vs. Iger

In the new book, Chapek discusses being fired as Disney’s chief executive in 2022 after less than three years in the position.

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. Josh D’Amaro was named the new Disney CEO in February 2026.

Iger, who hand-picked 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.

According to The New York Times, which received an advance copy of Bob Chapek’s book, instead of placing blame on circumstances like COVID, Wall Street, and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, “Mr. Chapek rejects any personal responsibility for his ouster. He places all blame on a relentless sabotage campaign by the man who handpicked him for the job, his predecessor and eventual successor, Robert A. Iger.”

In his memoir, Chapek paints Iger as manipulative and egotistical in his role, and claims Iger desired to seize back power. Chapek wrote that Iger was “an intentional and preconceived role in abruptly ending [his] ride as Disney C.E.O.”

Chapek also claims Iger disparaged him in private conversations, writing, “My abrupt dismissal hurt my reputation, leaving those close to me, outsiders, and some within the kingdom trying to figure out what I did wrong.” Chapek continues, “The answer, again, is nothing.”

“I didn’t get a chance to finish what I started,” Mr. Chapek writes. “In truth, it pisses me off.”

Bob Chapek Wrote Memoir to ‘Get the Truth Out There,’ Details Being Blindsided and Undermined by Bob Iger

Bob Chapek on CNBC

Chapek vs. Iger