Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says in his new book that former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was “getting a lot of pressure” from Disney to respond to the “don’t say gay” bill he signed last March, according to Deadline.
- DeSantis wrote that, in the midst of the controversy surrounding the bill, he received a call from Chapek.
- “As the controversy over the Parental Rights in Education bill was coming to a head, Chapek called me. He did not want Disney to get involved, but he was getting a lot of pressure to weigh in against the bill.”
- According to DeSantis, Chapek told him it was a different level of pressure he was under:
- “We get pressured all the time. But this time is different. I haven’t seen anything like this before.”
- DeSantis goes on to say he told Chapek if Disney did not respond to the bill, they would simply face “48 hours of outrage” and things would calm down.
- Disney of course did eventually respond to the bill and, after it was signed, released this statement:
- “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”
- DeSantis goes on to criticize Chapek, saying he “caved” to the “leftist media,” and accuses Disney of escalating the situation.
- This news comes after DeSantis signed into law today, a bill that would overhaul the Reedy Creek Improvement District and put it under state control.