Will Disney’s softened stance on DEI spark a trend?

Disney and PBS are reevaluating their stances on DEI initiatives following hostility from the Trump administration. How will companies like Comcast, which champions diversity, equity, and inclusion, fare under the new presidential administration? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dive in.

Sorry, not sorry? Disney’s recent updates to its DEI policies could be the first in a wave of changes impacting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in Hollywood. “When they say that they are changing the disclaimers on some of their old movies to make less of an apology for some of the things that they have done in the past, when they say that they are changing the language of their policies on DEI to be more about improving their talent pool, rather than specifically talking about the diversity and inclusion initiatives; that is significant because that trickles down throughout the industry.” Belloni explains.

A closer look? The FCC has announced it will investigate Comcast’s DEI practices. Will the company comply as it attempts to spin off several cable channels? “The FCC is an organ of the federal government that these media companies have to deal with and have to care about,” says Belloni. “In this particular moment when Comcast is in the middle of trying to spin off its cable networks, [the Trump administration] has some leverage there, because they can potentially cause some problems, not just at the FCC, but at the DOJ, [and] the FTC.”