Longtime Disney Publicist and D23 Spokesperson Jeffrey R. Epstein Among First Layoffs at Walt Disney Company

The vice president in charge of corporate communications and D23 spearhead and host, Jeffrey R. Epstein, is among the first in a lengthy series of job cuts that began this week at the Walt Disney Company, according to TheWrap. 

What’s Happening:

  • Longtime Disney Publicist and D23 Host Jeffrey R. Epstein is among the first of the layoffs in the promised 7,000 position and job cuts by Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger.
  • Epstein, a vice president of corporate communications for Disney and the man who spearheaded the official Disney fan club D23, was among those laid off this week in the first round of cuts.
  • Epstein is perhaps best known as the spokesperson for D23: The official Disney fan club  Stephen Clark initially developed the concept and the current president of D23 is Michael Vargo. Epstein additionally co-hosted a D23-themed podcast, D23 Inside Disney, along with Oh My Disney’s Sheri Henry.
  • Epstein’s dismissal was part of company wide layoffs that impacted Elizabeth Newman, VP of Development who was based at 20th Television while overseeing Creative Acquisitions for Disney Television Studios; Mark Levenstein, SVP Production for Hulu; Jayne Bieber, SVP Production Management & Operations for Freeform; and nearly the entire Disney metaverse team.
  • Yesterday, Iger released a memo saying that this week marks the first wave of layoffs across every division of the company, with additional layoffs coming in the weeks and months ahead.
  • In addition to D23, Epstein co-founded the popular Gay Days at Disneyland, an early and pioneering LGBTQ+ outing that was eventually endorsed by the company. The first event was held in 1998 and drew 2,500 people; by 2021 it drew 30,000 daily visitors and was a fully prepared weekend full of activities like screenings, lectures and celebrity guests.
  • According to TheWrap, the news of his dismissal has come from six separate sources with knowledge of the situation.