- Disney fired Peter Rice, its top TV executive, over a bad culture fit, The New York Times reports.
- Rice had been seen a potential successor to chief executive Bob Chapek, the paper said.
- The company said Rice was "leaving the company" but did not specify why.
Disney has fired its top TV content executive, saying he was a bad fit with Disney's corporate culture, The New York Times reports.
The New York Times cited three anonymous sources within the company, who said Peter Rice, the company's chairman of General Entertainment Content, was fired for being "an ill fit with Disney's corporate culture."
The paper said Disney chief executive Bob Chapek ousted him at a meeting on Wednesday.
Rice, who joined Disney in 2019, had his contract renewed in August and was supposed to end in 2024 and was seen by many as a potential successor to Chapek, per the Times.
He also appeared on Disney's upfront stage, the annual company showcase for advertisers, just three weeks ago.
Disney did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Disney named Dana Walden as Rice's successor in a press release on June 9. She previously served as chairman of entertainment for Walt Disney Television.
The press release said only that Rice was "leaving the company" without giving a reason and that Walden's appointment was "effective immediately."
"Dana is a dynamic, collaborative leader and cultural force who in just three years has transformed our television business into a content powerhouse that consistently delivers the entertainment audiences crave," Chapek said in the statement.
Disney's stocks have suffered from a wider industry uncertainty about the future of streaming platforms. On Thursday, the company's share price dipped 4%.
The company has also become involved in a political fight after it voiced opposition to Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill that limits teachers' instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Rice said in March he saw the law as "a violation of fundamental human rights."