Walt Disney drops COVID-19 vaccination mandate from many TV shows as shutdown fears recede
Walt Disney’s ABC announced Tuesday that it will no longer promote mandatory immunizations in shows and movies. “This was not intended to be a mandate and it is not a ‘gotcha’ or ‘gotcha’ moment,” said chief executive JayBUlbert. “We want to make the world a better place, and this is just one small part of that.”
It’s been a tough few weeks for Disney, which has seen its TV portfolio shrink from hundreds of shows and movies to just the ones made before last month’s coronavirus restrictions. In addition to cancelating shows and movies, it is taking all of its live events off-air and pulling its corporate functions.
Disney has since moved back to what many are calling a “normal” day for the studio, but it’s also not entirely clear if they have entirely recovered from the shock of the COVID-19 crisis.
“We have gone through a period of emotional and physical healing,” said Disney’s JayBUlbert. “But now it is time for us to get back to business and focus on our creative and artistic excellence at Disney.”
The company’s decision comes months after some of the biggest names in television were forced to pull their shows for a few weeks owing to the shutdown that followed the initial COVID-19 outbreak.
Just as with live events, there are many shows that are just beginning to return as they work to make up the time that’s been lost. Just when you thought Disney had completely recovered, the studio announced it will be making some changes to its television programming.
“It’s going to open up the world again because it’s the most important,” said JayBUlbert.
Not on the chopping block: How does this affect shows?
The first wave of cancellations came quickly. The first show that Disney confirmed was getting back on the air was Star Wars Rebels. A few days after, it was announced that the entire Disney series The Mandal