The Page 6 take on it:
https://pagesix.com/2026/02/25/holl...nice-guy-act-as-he-prepares-for-his-big-role/
Incoming Disney CEO makes huge statement with first power move
Published Feb. 25, 2026, 9:45 a.m. ET
No more Mr. Nice Guy.
That was the message Josh D’Amaro sent to Disney employees, and to the industry at large yesterday, when it was announced that Kristina Schake was out as Disney’s chief communications officer after five years on the job.
As we reported last week, Schake — brought in during the ill-fated Bob Chapek era — was on thin ice as soon as Disney’s board selected D’Amaro as Bob Iger’s replacement, because of Schake’s poor relationship with D’Amaro and her much closer relationship with Dana Walden. Schake’s last day will be March 18, the official start of the D’Amaro era.
In recent years, Schake’s reputation inside Disney had taken a hit because of what many believed was her poor handling of several PR crises involving Iger.
As we previously reported, Disney’s former communications chief Zenia Mucha and Iger’s chief of staff, Nancy Lee, have both been critical of the way Schake has handled her job, and there’s a general belief that Schake put her finger on the scale for Walden during the Disney CEO succession battle. In October, Disney renewed Schake’s contract, which means she should walk away with a low-to-mid seven figure severance package.
One Disney insider noted to P6H that in her farewell memo to staff, Schake made a point of namechecking both D’Amaro and Walden when mentioning that the future of the company was in good hands. Disney said it will announce Schake’s successor at a later date.
I mean, that's great if you're believing a celebrity gossip rag! Let's put Schake's dismissal under "Worst Kept Secrets" and move on......
