EXCLUSIVE: If you ever wanted to know what’s on Bob Iger‘s podcast playlist, here’s your answer.
The Disney CEO has made an appearance on The Rest is History, which claims to be the most popular history podcast with new data putting it at around 20 million monthly downloads and more than 80,000 paying members. He revealed he’s a fan of the podcast, which is part of the Goalhanger-produced The Rest is… franchise.
Iger is appearing in a two-part video special about Walt Disney’s legacy this week. Scroll to the bottom for exclusive images of Iger taking The Rest is History hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook on a tour around Disneyland, as they discuss Disney’s legacy as an animator and film producer and the cultural significance of the theme park.
Besides the Disney chatter, Iger told Holland and Sandbrook about his love of their work, saying: “There’s mutual respect here. I’ve loved the lessons that both of you have taught me, and you’ve done so with such a great degree of humour and entertainment. And I thank both of you for everything you’ve taught me and the experiences you’ve given me.”
Iger will also offer up reflections on his own time at Disney ahead of his planned exit in 2026. Iger had, of course, famously given up the Disney hot seat and retired in December 2021, only to return eleven months later after the dismissal of his successor, Bob Chapek.
The Rest is History‘s deep dive into House of Mouse’s past begins today with an episode titled ‘Walt Disney: The Great American Storyteller’ followed by another on Thursday, currently untitled, which will go chart to creation and enduring popularity of Disneyland.
The double video release will drop on Friday featuring the exclusive interview with Iger, which was conducted on the lot in Burbank. It will also include a mini-documentary in which Iger gives Sandbrook and Holland a private historical tour of the Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland Park, exploring the latter’s 1955 origins, its associated cultural milestones and the story behind its legacy.
The trip down memory lane will have been a welcome one for Iger. Disney is currently locked in a carriage dispute with YouTube TV and dealing with the fallout of its move to exit its big-budget co-production agreement with the BBC for Doctor Who.
Iger, whose influence on modern-day Disney cannot be understated thanks to him leading on acquisitions such as the deal for Marvel in 2009, is set to step down for a second time next year, with the likes of Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden and Disney Experiences boss Josh D’Amaro among the names in the running to replace him. Whoever lands the role is stepping into arguably the highest-profile job in global entertainment.
As for The Rest is History, the news comes after Deadline revealed in January that it is being developed as TV show. Wheelhouse is attached to develop unscripted titles based on the podcast and its library of hundreds of episodes. The podcast, from Gary Lineker’s production house Goalhanger, has a huge fanbase in the U.S., and has covered American topics such as Hollywood myths about the Titanic and examining the lives and deaths of legendary figures including John F. Kennedy. Disney will be the latest in the pantheon.
“Everybody knows the name Disney,” said Sandbrook. “It’s an organisation with an almost unparalleled grip on the world’s imagination – particularly of children, when your imagination is most formative. Walt Disney himself is one of the most important cultural figures of the twentieth century, and anyone who says ‘Disney is just for children’ completely misses its impact in shaping the imaginations and therefore the cultural and political choices – of hundreds of millions.”
“Whenever we investigate a subject, we always want to do more – we’re frustrated we can’t carry on,” added Holland. “With Walt Disney, we thought it only right to come to Disney – to Disneyland itself. Walt Disney, more than any other figure, embodies twentieth-century American culture, and Disneyland is a remarkable creation – one of the most influential architectural works of the mid-20th century.”
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