Disney Chairman/CEO Bob Iger Tells Oprah: Axing Roseanne Barr Was Easy Decision

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https://deadline.com/2019/09/disney-...sy-1202747354/

Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday is back on OWN after an eight-year hiatus, and she’s talking this week with Disney chairman/CEO Bob Iger, whose The Ride of a Lifetime book was released earlier this week by Random House.

Iger’s TV OWN interview will simultaneously stream on SuperSoulSunday at oprah.com and Oprah’s Facebook page on Sunday at 12 PM ET/PT and will be available on “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations” podcast beginning Monday, September 30.

Winfrey said in the interview that she wanted Iger to become president.

“If Bob Iger had decided to run for president, I would be canvassing in Iowa right now,’ said Winfrey, a long-time friend of Iger. “More than ever, every day, I wish you had done it.”

Iger said he had explored a 2020 run, but backed off when his Disney tenure was extended after the 21st Century Fox deal.

He also spoke about the decision to end Roseanne Barr’s tenure with her show in 2018 after a tweet that mocked former Barack Obama consultant Valerie Jarrett.

Iger said that he didn’t think “there was any circumstance that would make that right.”

“It took about five minutes to know what we had to do,’ he said. “It seemed completely insensitive, completely disrespectful. It was very clear. The decision, it was easy to make. What she had done was very, very clear. I didn’t believe any context could make this better or acceptable or could result in us forgiving her. So we did it. And you also know, in today’s world, if there’s a decision to be made by you, make it — because otherwise the world will make it for you, and that’s never good.”