Kathleen Kennedy Is Lobbying To Help Bob Iger Receive An Honorary Oscar, And Some Members Of The Academy Are Not Happy About It
Image Source: ITC
Kathleen Kennedy has found herself in hot water with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She’d been caught contacting members of the board, encouraging them to add Bob Iger to this year’s honorary Oscar list.
Disney owns ABC, one of the broadcasting partners of the ceremony (and the two companies are currently in the middle of contract negotiations), so the Academy had removed Bob Iger’s name from consideration, believing it to be a conflict of interest. Kathleen Kennedy didn’t seem to mind and pushed for her boss to get the top award. Bob Iger reportedly was unaware of the lobbying, and ultimately, it has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
The final recipients will be Debbie Allen, Tom Cruise, and Wynn Thomas, with Dolly Parton receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
However, the question everyone should be asking is why? Kathleen Kennedy is a top executive in one of the most cutthroat companies in Hollywood. It’s unlikely she put herself in a compromising position out of the goodness of her heart.
RELATED:
Bob Iger has been the CEO of Disney for a long time. He took the role in 2005, retired in 2020, and came back in 2020 after the board ousted Bob Chapek. His current contract ends in 2026, and Disney announced in 2024 that they intend to start the timeline for his retirement in 2025. Which means they are looking for his replacement now.
If Kathleen had pulled off being the one to get Bob Iger an Oscar, it most definitely would have been worth it for her professionally. Her contract as president of Lucasfilm ends at the end of 2025. She’s currently riding high off Andor Season 2 's success, so she could be a likely candidate to replace him, and this also might explain the ‘is she leaving, isn’t she’ headlines from earlier in the year. There’s also nothing like a consolatory Oscar to get a man out the door, especially after the flop that was Snow White. Kathleen Kennedy, nice try, but we see you.
READ NEXT:
Source(s): Variety, Entrepreneur, Screenrant
Latest News
Featured
