Extremely Wealthy Disney CEO Bob Iger Finds The Writer And Actor Strikes 'Disturbing'

Want to hear something rich? In the wake of the imminent SAG-AFTRA strike (which transformed from a distinct possibility to a near-certainty last night with the expiration of the union's deal with the AMPTP), the studios' top moneybags are suddenly crying foul over demands from their workers — the lifeblood of the industry, in fact — that they perceive to be "just not realistic." Apparently not content to allow Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to remain the most public face of everything the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are fighting against, whose own strike recently reached its 70th day on the picket lines, Disney CEO Bob Iger decided to wade into the fray and express his own wildly privileged thoughts about what will soon become a two-pronged strike.

In a television appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box" morning show (via Variety), Iger (who, mind you, scrounged up enough money recently to extend his own contract with Disney another two years) described the prospects of Hollywood shutting down for good without writers or actors as "very disturbing to me." As he explains:

"I understand any labor organization's desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver. We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business. We wanted to do the same thing with the writers, and we'd like to do the same thing with the actors. There's a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive."

Of course, Iger must know the entire point of labor movements is to make important gains by being "disruptive," especially as many of the existential concerns faced by the writers apply just as much to actors, as well.