Disney CEO gets 30% raise and salary reaches $41.1 million

Bob Iger earned a sizable raise at Disney (DISB34) last year. The entertainment giant increased its chief executive officer’s total compensation by 30% to $41.1 million, according to the company’s 2025 proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Iger had a base salary of $1 million, but also received $7.2 million in bonuses, plus $18.3 million in stock, $12 million in options and $2.1 million in other compensation. . In 2023, he earned $31.6 million.

This increase comes after an especially successful year for Disney. Two of his films — “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” — were among the most successful theatrical releases last year, grossing a total of $3 billion. Theme park admissions have remained strong, and Iger is launching a $60 billion investment in parks, cruises and resorts to keep Disney competitive, while Universal Studios makes an effort to attract tourists with major upgrades to its theme parks in Orlando.

Iger is currently planning to name his successor as CEO in 2026 and step down from the role, after resuming the role in 2022, less than a year after the end of his first term.

While $41 million is certainly not an amount to be sniffed at, it is significantly less than Iger’s compensation in 2018, when he took home $65.6 million. This led Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Roy Disney and great-niece of Walt Disney, to launch a public criticism of his earnings, saying that although she liked Iger and thought he was doing an excellent job as CEO, the pay ratio between the CEO and other company employees were “insane”.

The heiress and activist has remained active in highlighting CEO salaries in general, as well as average employee pay.