Bob Iger
Bob Iger returned as CEO of Disney in NovemberCharley Gallay/Stringer/Getty Images
  • The Wall Street Journal reported that Disney CEO Bob Iger undermined his successor.

  • He kept an office despite being out and held meetings with his staff.

  • Iger was re-elected as Disney's CEO by the company's board in November of last year.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Bob Iger undermined his successor Bob Chapek before taking the top job at Disney.

After less than three years out of the business, Ige is back.

According to the report, Iger kept his office at Disney's Burbank, California headquarters even after he stepped down as CEO. According to the Journal, Iger angered the new CEO by not inviting him to meetings with his staff, as well as telling a friend that he was not up to scratch.

Iger was reinstalled as CEO by the Disney board last month.

A senior executive reached out to Iger just a few days before he decided to come back. The Journal reported that Iger was swamped by fans at Disneyland who wanted selfies and autographs.

A senior figure at Disney told Insider that other executives were considering leaving if the CEO remained.

The former chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts came under fire frequently.

The firm began charging for previously free offerings like shuttles to the parks and the FastPass service that allowed park attendees to cut certain lines because of the price increases for park tickets and food. On the day after its latest earnings call, the firm's stock dropped the most of any day. The restructuring that deprived creative execs of power was a point of contention for staffers.

The Disney insider told Insider that he was criticized for making decisions without enough information.

Iger, who led Disney for 15 years before his brief retirement, is contracted to the role for two years and will prioritize finding another successor.

Disney and Iger were not immediately available to respond to Insider's request for comment.

Business Insider has an article on it.