Video footage of a Disney executive admitting to the company’s unofficial discriminatory hiring practices has gone viral.
James O’Keefe, president of Project Veritas Action, posted a 20-minute video of Michael Giordano, senior vice president at The Walt Disney Company, explaining that “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) policies have made the hiring and promotion of white people, especially white males, not happening.
BREAKING: Senior Vice President at The Walt Disney Company details discriminatory hiring practices: "Nobody else is going to tell you this, but they're not considering any white males for the job," says Michael Giordano, a Vice President of Business affairs, "there’s no way we’re… pic.twitter.com/IMOsFOLKro
— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) June 20, 2024
“You know, I’ve been in the company 11 years now, so I have friends in HR, and I have friends in other divisions. And they’re like, look, nobody else is going to tell you this, Mike, but they’re not considering any white males for the job,” Giordano told an undercover journalist in the video.
According to him, Disney uses buzzwords and code words to avoid legal action for discriminating against candidates due to race. He went on to give the example of a half-black candidate Disney allegedly decided not to hire because he was not visibly black enough and therefore didn’t have the look they wanted.
“They want a certain percentage of the diversity here. A certain percentage of diversity there,” he said.
Giordano also questioned his own chances of advancing in the company because he was a white male.
“As far as Disney is concerned, I’m a white male. That’s not who they’re looking at promoting,” he explained.
Giordano has reportedly taken a “leave of absence” since the video went viral. Figures like Elon Musk re-posted it on X, and some activists called for a boycott of Disney.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Musk revealed Disney’s “Inclusion Standards” earlier this year. At least 50% of “Underrepresented Groups” are included in every category, from plot lines and actors to writers and producers, he claimed on X.
“If you were discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries (ABC, ESPN, Marvel, etc), just reply to this post to receive legal support,” he wrote at the time.
The Dallas Express contacted Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, for comment but did not receive a response.