Disney's 'bloodbath' layoffs are set to hit thousands of workers across every division in the US

The Walt Disney Company is going to cut thousands of staff next week - including 15 percent of its entertainment division.

Disney has around 220,000 employees globally and around 170,000 in the US.

The layoffs will affect all major divisions of the roughly $185 billion company, which was recently split into: entertainment, ESPN and parks and resorts. 

Disney parks employ the majority of workers in the US - around 100,000 people in 2020, according to the latest publicly available figures, but it's unclear exactly how many staffers are being cut from each division. 

These plans were first reported by Bloomberg, but align with an announcement in February in which the company said it would ax 7,000 positions to cut annual costs by $5.5 billion.

The company is currently embroiled in a bitter war with Florida governor Ron DeSantis who is trying to dissolve a private government controlled by Walt Disney World that provides municipal-like services for its 27,000 acres of land in Florida.

The Walt Disney Company is going to cut thousands of staff next week, including 15 percent of its entertainment division, Bloomberg reported. Disney's studio HQ in Burbank, California, is pictured

Disney has been adapting to new leadership since former CEO Bob Iger (pictured) returned in November after retiring from the same position in 2020

Iger's appointment was prompted by a plummeting share price, onset after its streaming division incurred $1.5 billion loss in the quarter ending October 1 last year

Some employees are expected to be notified of the cuts as soon as April 24, according to Bloomberg, which spoke with company insiders.

They will have considerable impact on Disney Entertainment, which houses the company's streaming and film and TV operations.

ESPN, which came under Disney's ownership in 1995, is one of the smallest divisions in the company with only around 5,000 employees worldwide as of 2023, according to its own website.

Disney has been adapting to new leadership since former CEO Bob Iger returned in November after retiring from the same position in 2020.

His appointment was prompted by a plummeting share price, onset after its streaming division incurred $1.5 billion loss in the quarter ending October 1.

In February he announced the biggest shake up since his return in a bid to cut costs - $3 billion from content, excluding sports, and the remaining $2.5 billion from non-content. 

Under his new bout of leadership a restructuring has seen him restore authority to a number of creative executives - including top lieutenants Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, who are both considered to be top contenders for his CEO position within the next two years.

ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro will lead that segment and Josh D'maro will remain in control of Disney parks.

Disney parks employ the majority of workers in the US - around 100,000 people in 2020

Ron DeSantis threatened to build a state prison next to Walt Disney World in Florida

DeSantis is trying to dissolve a private government controlled by Disney that provides municipal-like services for its 27,000 acres of land in Florida 

As part of an ingoing war between DeSantis and Disney, earlier this week the Florida governor threatened to build a state prison next to Walt Disney World.

It is widely considered to be payback after Disney trumped him in March by using an obscure legal loophole which allowed it to strip power from the oversight board he had put in place to control the Florida theme park.

The dispute between Walt Disney Company and DeSantis erupted in March 2022, when DeSantis passed his 'Don't Say Gay' bill, banning classroom teaching on gender identity. 

Disney spoke out against the law - relying on special legal privileges it has held for decades at the so-called Reedy Creek Improvement District, which covers the 40 square miles of land owned by the corporation.