Michael Eisner Alberto Rodriguez/Sportico/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment In a podcast interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner reflected on his tenure and said he regrets acquiring Miramax due to the bad behavior of its co-founder Harvey Weinstein. "I think I would not make a deal - because I got a good cheap deal at $70 million to buy Miramax - if I'd thought that I'm bringing a wolf into the hen house," Eisner said. Disney sold the film company in 2010 for $660 million after a 17-year run of owning the studio. Eisner, who was CEO of the company from 1984 to 2005, went on to claim that he was the only person at Disney who would work with Weinstein. Related Stories Business Disney+ and Sky Ink Multi-Year Deal in U.K. and Ireland Reporter's Notebook AI Companies Sold Us Their Vision of the Future at the Super Bowl. Here's Why We Should Reject It "He was just a pig. He was rude, but he was a closet intellectual. He looked like a truck driver. He acted like a truck driver. He had great independent film taste and nobody at Disney would deal with him but me," he told Bensinger. As part of the wide-ranging interview, which took place in November, Eisner also weighed in on Disney CEO succession. Since the interview, Josh D'Amaro, chair of the company's experiences division, has been named as Bob Iger's successor. "I think the company's in great shape. I think Bob has been an excellent CEO. I am happy that he was the person that I recommended - that I got it through the board. He was not the board's first choice in the beginning. He ended up being a unanimous choice. He came out of ABC, he was the president under me for a decade," Eisner said. "Most of the time, succession doesn't go well ... The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. So, going to the outside is dangerous. If you have people in the inside that are capable, that's a better way to go," he said in November, ahead of the new CEO pick. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Universal Music Group Universal Music Gets EU Approval for Downtown Deal After Agreeing to Sell Royalty Services Arm Heat Vision 'John Wick' Video Game in the Works Roku Roku Sees Higher Revenue, Positive Net Income For 2025 As Platform Makes Gains WME Ray Romano Signs with WME (Exclusive) Obituaries Susan Grode, Hollywood Power Lawyer, Dies at 86 Production News San Francisco Bumps Film and TV Tax Credit Universal Music Group Universal Music Gets EU Approval for Downtown Deal After Agreeing to Sell Royalty Services Arm Heat Vision 'John Wick' Video Game in the Works Roku Roku Sees Higher Revenue, Positive Net Income For 2025 As Platform Makes Gains WME Ray Romano Signs with WME (Exclusive) Obituaries Susan Grode, Hollywood Power Lawyer, Dies at 86 Production News San Francisco Bumps Film and TV Tax Credit
The Hollywood Reporter
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner Says He Regrets Miramax Acquisition Due to Weinstein's Behavior
February 13, 2026
8 days ago
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