Disney notified employees on Tuesday morning, July 21 of a new round of layoffs hitting ESPN, Pixar, National Geographic and corporate teams. Disney disclosed no exact count and reports say hundreds; the tracker carries the round at an estimated 200. It is the third round of 2026 under CEO Josh D'Amaro, following the January marketing consolidation and the April round of up to 1,000.
Pixar took the deepest cuts among the film studios, and National Geographic was hit hardest inside Disney Entertainment Television. Most of the ESPN reductions are tied to absorbing NFL Network, which Disney took on when the deal closed in early 2026 and the NFL took a 10% stake in ESPN. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro told staff in a memo that the majority of the ESPN cuts relate to that integration.
On-air departures include SportsCenter anchor Karl Ravech, at ESPN since 1993, and NFL analyst Ryan Clark.
Disney announced plans for up to 1,000 job cuts on April 9, the first large reduction under D'Amaro after he succeeded Bob Iger as CEO. The marketing organization took the brunt of the round.
Marvel was hit hard, losing roughly 7 to 8% of its staff across Marvel Entertainment in New York and Marvel Studios in Burbank. The visual development department was gutted.
The tracker carries the rounds as separate entries: the April 9 row at up to 1,000 and the July 21 row at an estimated 200, about 1,200 in total with the July figure estimated.