Bob Chapek, the former Disney CEO ousted in November 2022, claims his predecessor-turned-successor Bob Iger waged a "relentless three-year campaign to push me out" after hand-picking him for the job.

"The way Disney's board and Bob Iger handled my firing made it seem as if I had committed some terrible offense," Chapek writes in an excerpt from his upcoming book, "Behind the Castle Walls," published by Vanity Fair Thursday. "To outsiders, it looked suspicious—who gets ousted on a Sunday, right before a company's big event, unless they're guilty of something?"

Chapek took over as Disney CEO in February 2020 as Iger's chosen successor. The board fired him in November 2022 after a series of missteps and brought Iger back. Iger stepped down as CEO this March; former parks head Josh D'Amaro replaced him.

"From the moment he announced my appointment, he clearly regretted it and seemed to initiate a relentless three-year campaign to push me out," Chapek writes of Iger. "From day one as CEO, I had respected the board's decision to have him remain as executive chairman, directing creative endeavors and overseeing the transition until late 2021. I'd always made it clear I had big shoes to fill. But I'd never expected to endure a drawn-out, purposeful undoing of my leadership."

Disney declined to comment Thursday. Iger declined to comment via a representative at Thrive Capital, where he is now a partner.

Disney insiders, according to the report, view Chapek's book as a "revisionist" account of the events.

Simon & Schuster will release "Behind the Castle Walls" on Sept. 29. Chapek is promoting the book with the Vanity Fair excerpt and an interview published by the Wall Street Journal Wednesday. Industry sources say the title faces competition from Wall Street Journal reporter Robbie Whelan's upcoming unauthorized "The House of Mouse: Bob Iger and The War of Succession at Disney," slated for release on Dec. 1, 2026.

In the excerpt, Chapek recalls Iger's retirement party, where he says he was the butt of a "snide" joke about his Indiana upbringing and then passed over when Iger concluded his speech.

"He continued, going through the next few phases of his career, but still had yet to mention anything about his eventual replacement," Chapek writes. "It was a retirement party after all. Eventually, he got to the end, and I braced myself for what was next. 'And as I come to this point in my career where I'm ready now to, you know, move on to my next chapter . . .' he said as his voice trailed off. He stopped again, turned, and then abruptly declared, 'You know what? I think I've said enough. Thank you very much. Good night.'"

"I mean, literally, there wasn't a head that didn't turn around and look at me like, Oh my God, he just literally blew you off," Chapek continues. "That moment encapsulates how Iger treated our professional transition. He could have said, I turn the reins over to my successor, and I wish him all the luck in the world. That's all he had to say. It didn't need to be an endorsement. It just didn't need to be venomous. He couldn't even stay neutral. That proved too much for him. He had to disrespect me and my background."

Chapek also claims that while he worked to "ensure the company survived the COVID shutdown under the crushing debt of a newly minted and exorbitant Fox deal," Iger "seemed to spend his time finding ways to politically outmaneuver and undermine me." He cites the backlash over Disney's position on Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill as a case in which he believes Iger damaged his image.

"He interjected himself publicly in a way that would of course blow up on me, as I believe it was intended to, in the company's response to the 'Don't Say Gay' bill," Chapek writes. "While I was under pressure to keep the company afloat with no revenue and mounting debt, he appeared to actively work against me. As I pushed for bold streaming strategies to transform Disney into a streaming media powerhouse, he fueled an ego-driven power struggle."

With neither Disney nor Iger responding, Chapek's account stands as his first extended version of the events—until Whelan's unauthorized telling arrives late next year.