From The Hollywood Reporter · Alex Weprin · · 1m 40s
Unauthorized Iger book reveals Disney's succession war
A Wall Street Journal reporter's upcoming book details Bob Iger's power struggles and the internal conflicts that shaped Disney.
In brief
A Wall Street Journal reporter's upcoming book details Bob Iger's power struggles and the internal conflicts that shaped Disney. An unauthorized biography by Robbie Whelan will expose previously unreported details about Bob Iger's reluctance to relinquish control at Disney and the resulting power struggles that…
Unauthorized Iger biography coming
Wall Street Journal reporter Robbie Whelan is releasing The House of Mouse on December 1, 2026, an unauthorized account of Bob Iger's tenure at Disney and internal power struggles.
Iger and Perlmutter's friendship turned toxic
The book explores how Iger's close relationship with Marvel chief Ike Perlmutter deteriorated after Iger orchestrated the $4 billion Marvel acquisition in 2009, eventually leading Perlmutter to join activist Nelson Peltz's campaign against Iger.
Book based on hundreds of interviews
Whelan's research includes hundreds of interviews with insiders and thousands of pages of corporate documents, including sensitive communications and internal memos never before reported.
“on hundreds of interviews with key figures in Iger's orbit and thousands of pages of documentary evidence”
Iger's control obsession created power vacuum
According to the book's description, Iger molded Disney so completely in his image that he believed only he could run it, leading to a decade-long power struggle that hurt executives, employees, and shareholders.
“Iger molded Disney so tightly in his image that he became convinced that only he could run the company”
Disney hired lawyers to vet the book
Disney was concerned enough about the biography to hire attorney Charles Harder to push for fact-checking and details on its contents, with speculation about Whelan's sources.
Chapek and Iger both writing their own books
Former CEO Bob Chapek is releasing Behind the Castle Walls this month, while Iger is working on a second book. Both executives are telling their own versions of Disney's recent turmoil.
What it means
An unauthorized biography by Robbie Whelan will expose previously unreported details about Bob Iger's reluctance to relinquish control at Disney and the resulting power struggles that affected executives, employees, and shareholders.
