As co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, Dana Walden leads Disney’s global portfolio of entertainment media, news and content businesses, with a singular focus on serving fans around the world. She has led Disney+ and Hulu to profitability by creating an integrated entertainment ecosystem – tightly aligning the company’s linear and streaming strategies and positioning the business for long-term growth. Walden leads programming, marketing, distribution and operations across Disney’s world-renowned, award-winning content brands — including ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, FX, Hulu Originals and National Geographic Content — and shares oversight of Disney’s direct-to-consumer, technology and advertising groups.
In this role, she oversees more than 25,000 employees globally and a programming slate of 4,500+ hours and nearly 300 series annually. Disney’s content library consistently ranks among the most-watched, commanding four of the Top 10 most-streamed titles in the U.S. in 2025, including “Bluey,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Family Guy” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Culture-defining shows like “The Bear,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Only Murders in the Building” and “Shōgun” have reinforced Disney’s position as the industry benchmark for premium storytelling. Additionally, ABC has ranked as the No. 1 entertainment network for multiple consecutive seasons, and ABC News remains the most-watched news network in America.
Walden is also driving Disney’s international streaming and content evolution, unifying regional operations across EMEA, LATAM and APAC, and shaping the international content strategy. Her leadership has driven increased investment in key markets and delivered breakout international hits such as “Moving” (Korea) and “Rivals” (U.K.), while replacing Star with Hulu internationally to elevate Disney’s general entertainment offering and global streaming footprint.
Walden joined Disney in 2019, following the company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, initially serving as chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment. As her responsibilities expanded, she assumed leadership of Disney’s broader entertainment businesses as chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, ultimately rising to co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. Before joining Disney, Walden spent 25 years at 21st Century Fox and was elevated to chairman and CEO of Fox Television Group, which included Fox Broadcasting Company, 20th Century Fox Television, Fox 21 Television Studios, Fox Consumer Products and 20th Television. Most notably, during her tenure, Fox Broadcasting Company catapulted from fourth place to first.
For more than three decades, programming launched with her at the helm garnered 1,200+ awards, including more than 400 Emmy® wins, and established the record for the most Emmys won by a single company in one year. Fan-favorite shows produced under her purview include “24,” “Glee,” “Homeland,” “Modern Family” and “This Is Us”; enduring franchises like “9-1-1,” “American Horror Story” and “The Simpsons”; unscripted stalwarts like “American Idol,” “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Kardashians”; beloved children’s programming like “Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends” and “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”; and current breakout hits like “Abbott Elementary,” “Alien: Earth,” “High Potential,” “Paradise” and “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”
Walden’s leadership has been widely recognized, including most recently in 2025 with the International Emmy Founders Award and the Producers Guild of America Milestone Award. She has been consistently recognized among the most influential business leaders, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business and being named to Fortune and Forbes’ Most Powerful Women lists. Walden has also received the National Association of Television Program Executive’s Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award and was named MIPCOM’s Personality of the Year. She serves on the boards of UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Saban Community Clinic in Los Angeles and is a member of USC’s President’s Leadership Council.