Who owns Disney? Comedian Nate Bargatze says the company is "run by a guy that’s just a businessman who "doesn't care about audience"

Comedian Nate Bargatze shared his thoughts about Disney during a conversation with Esquire Magazine, published on May 5, 2025. When the interviewer asked about his influences, he mentioned Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, and Judd Apatow. The fourth inspiration for him is Disney.

Bargatze felt that Walt Disney cared about his customers and audience while sharing his love for the brand name. However, Nate Bargatze claimed that times have changed, and according to him:

"Now Disney is run by a guy that’s just a businessman. Well, that guy doesn’t care about the audience."

As per reports, Disney is not owned by one person now. It comprises various shareholders, which are further divided between institutional investors, insiders, retail investors, etc. Investopedia notes that Robert A. Iger, Christine M. McCarthy, and Kevin A. Lansberry are among the individual shareholders.

Meanwhile, the institutional shareholders include BlackRock, Vanguard Group, State Street, and others. Similarly, according to Dominic Walsh's article on Medium, the retail investors in the company are Trian Fund Management, Michael Eisner, and others.

However, for Nate Bargatze, his audience means everything, and he considers himself their servant. As understood from the conversation with the magazine, one of his aspirations is to build a theme park, which he would name “Nateland.” He said:

"I’ll be honest with you, I bet we’re closer than people think. But it’s still a little bit of a ways off."

Felix Verdigets, the CEO of Bargatze’s production company, believed that while many in the entertainment world were trying to tap into a "heartland" vibe, their content stood out because it had always been created naturally and sincerely.

He also compared the brand's identity to Disney’s connection with Mickey Mouse, saying Nate was the core of Nateland.

Nate Bargatze on his recently-launched book Big Dumb Eyes

Nate Bargatze released his first book, Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind, this month. Speaking to Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on their show, Bargatze explained that the title of his book was Big Dumb Eyes. However, due to his accent, many people mistakenly thought he said Big Demise, which would have been a different book.

When asked about his childhood, he shared that his dad was a professional clown who later became a magician. Nate joked about the experience of being raised by a clown, including the challenge of being scolded by someone with a painted-on smile.

He also mentioned jokingly that his dad now travels with him on tour and opens his shows, humorously noting the dynamic of touring with his father at age 46, complete with a CPAP machine on their bus.

Nate Bargatze’s book has blank pages inside. When Today’s host, Savannah Guthrie, asked about the blank pages, he explained that they were meant to give readers a moment to pause and relax before continuing.

He also mentioned that someone had mistaken his book for a children's book, which made him realize they might have thought his writing style felt like one.

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Also Read: How rich is Nate Bargatze? SNL host and comedian's net worth explored

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