Speaking at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit on Tuesday, Iger said that he plans to actually step down as CEO of Disney in mid 2019.
“This time I mean it,” Iger said during the summit. “It’s time.”
There has been speculation that the Disney DIS, -0.44% chief might consider a political career following his departure, but when asked about it he said, “let’s not go there,” according to Variety.
Earlier this year Disney’s board of directors extended Iger’s contract through July 2, 2019. That move came after the man widely expected to succeed him, former Chief Operating Officer Tom Skaggs, left the company after it became clear he would not get the job.
Iger had planned to step down in 2018, but only after an earlier planned exit in 2016 was pushed back. It’s unclear if the company has a suitable internal candidate as successor or will have to look outside.
Disney now has plans to launch a long-awaited stand alone streaming service for ESPN.
Iger also spoke out against gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas late Sunday that killed 59 people, including a Disney employee, and injured more than 515, including another Disney employee.
A senseless, horrific, act, and a terrible loss for so many. We mourn a wonderful member of the Disney family: Carrie Barnette. Tragic.
“These are incidents that touch everybody,” Iger said. “Where is the outrage here? This is a huge crisis for our country. We should be demanding a dialogue about this from our politicians.”