Disney blindsided Chapek with decision to replace him with Iger

Disney chose to rehire Bob Iger as chief executive after receiving internal complaints from senior leadership that Bob Chapek was not fit for the job, according to people familiar with the matter.

The executive change came together quickly, blindsiding Chapek and his closest allies. Disney’s board reached out to Iger on Friday, without any other serious candidates in mind to replace Chapek as CEO, CNBC’s David Faber reported Monday, citing sources.

The board’s outreach to Iger and discussion to replace Chapek came after the board married internal complaints about Chapek’s leadership with concerns following Disney’s most recent quarterly earnings report, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions were private.

On Sunday, Disney said it would replace Chapek with Iger as chief executive, effective immediately. Chapek had come under fire for his management of Disney in the last few years. Chapek was notified on Sunday night, Faber reported.

Chapek and his inner circle were caught off guard by the news, one of the people said. The status of Chapek’s right-hand man, Kareem Daniel, is murky and dependent on the direction Iger wants to take at the company, two of the people said. Daniel leads Disney Media and Entertainment, a division created through Chapek’s reorganization of the company.

A Disney spokesperson declined to comment. Chapek didn’t respond to a request for comment.

While some internal CEO candidates were identified who might be able to take the job over time, the board didn’t want to put someone new in that position given all various pressures on the company, Faber reported.

Disney reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings earlier this month, disappointing on profit and certain key revenue segments. The company had also warned that its strong streaming numbers would likely taper off in the future. Three days later, Chapek told executives that Disney would cut costs through hiring freezes, layoffs and other measures. The memo about cost-cutting led to some internal pushback against Chapek, one of the people said.

The company’s shares rose Monday following the news of Chapek’s replacement.

— CNBC’s David Faber contributed to this article.