As I wrote on Tuesday, reports that Kathleen Kennedy will exit her role as President of Lucasfilm after a disastrous 13-year run began circulating, with three sources close to Kennedy indicating that she's going to walk out the door by the end of the year. These reports are still unconfirmed, but regardless, people are celebrating like it's written in stone. 

It clearly shows you just how much resentment the people have for Kennedy and her handling of one of the most beloved American franchises in history. 

(READ: Is It Over? Kathleen Kennedy Reportedly Leaving Lucasfilm After Disastrous 13-Year Run)

Variety seems to be celebrating Kennedy as if she's approaching the end too, speculating on who will take her place and what kind of shoes they need to fill: 

Whoever gets the Lucasfilm gig will have to offer an expansive vision for where to take the 48-year-old franchise – one that involves streaming, as well as a more consistent output of movies. There’s been an unintentional seven-year gap between 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” the last feature film to hit screens, and the upcoming “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” a continuation of the Disney+ show that Lucasfilm plans to unveil theatrically in 2026.

Even Disney’s own Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is the most financially successful franchise in history, has struggled in recent years to maintain the same level of quality as it has moved beyond movies and into streaming. It’s easy for even the most exciting franchises to become oversaturated and grow stale.

I'm glad Variety brought up Marvel, because it only deepens my theory about Kennedy's exit. Stick with me, because Kennedy's departure looks like it could be another chapter in Disney's attempt to fix a massive problem.

Loyal readers will have seen my reporting on both Marvel and Lucasfilm, tracking both brands under the Disney umbrella in its descent from fame and straight into infamy. In fact, the entirety of the Disney empire has suffered this kind of problem, resulting in a 10 percent loss in its stock price and layoffs galore, even in Pixar, which also got caught up in the woke trend that plagued Disney's brands. 

As I reported in March 2023, one such layoff from Marvel was Marvel Studios VP Victoria Alonso, one of the more activist executives who got canned after the disaster that was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This was an interesting firing, and one that wasn't taken well from Alonso. What makes it more interesting is that other Marvel execs didn't step in to save her, including Marvel President Kevin Feige. Speculation was that Disney was attempting to right the ship and getting rid of their more extremely ideological executives. 

Things began shifting at Disney, slowly, but surely. Disney CEO Bob Iger noted in December 2023 that a focus was going to be put on quality, with far less messaging in the mix. A 10-K report from Disney even signaled in November of that same year that ESG is a risk-factor in Disney's bottom line, as its audience does not align with ESG goals. 

Major investors like BlackRock have Disney by the mouse ears, which caused it to adhere to the ESG game plan that many other corporations did. BlackRock owns 7.2 percent of Disney (129 million shares), and they aren't the only ESG-focused investment firm with an inordinate amount of ownership in the company. In order to keep these massive investor groups happy, Disney invested an inordinate amount of time and staff to fulfilling goals set by these investors. 

However, Disney's 10-K report was right, and while BlackRock and its ilk might have been pleased, the customers sure weren't. 

Box office numbers were abysmal for too many films. Disney+ stalled out at 164 million subs. Quantumania bombed so hard it left a lasting injury on Marvel (estimated meager $88k profit) with The Marvels creating a massive loss for Disney (estimated $237 million loss). Bad reviews plagued the company's products, and entire communities sprang up around Disney's continued insults toward the audience. As customers began walking away, middle-fingers held high, divestments from ESG-focused firms began in earnest globally. States like Texas began investigating BlackRock as Japanese companies began turning their attention away from ESG goals. 

It was all falling apart, and the reason why wasn't hard to see.

It was clear that ESG adherence wasn't keeping the lights on, and pivots were needed. While they still aren't defying the will of their investor masters, they are pushing the company to fulfill these requirements in different, and more profitable ways. This included dropping DEI programs such as "Reimagine Tomorrow," one of Disney's DEI-focused programs and the home of the "no-so-secret gay agenda." This didn't mean DEI was gone from Disney, it's just going to look and work a bit differently. 

(READ: The House of Mouse Isn't Shoving DEI Out the Door As They've Advertised)

Which brings me to Kennedy. 

Kennedy's plans to bring a heavy feminist bent to every brand under Lucasfilm, whether it's the galaxy far, far away, or Indiana Jones, was something that fit very well with the requirements Disney needed to please their masters. Films released with "diversity" in mind, having social messaging that overshadowed the stories, effectively ruining productions and causing audiences to withdraw in disgust. While this might have kept the suits happy, the company started bleeding money, and a change was needed. 

Kennedy represents an era that has now past. Her unapologetic, unrelenting destruction of Lucasfilm properties thanks to socio-political messaging was part of a trend that didn't benefit anyone that engaged in it. Even now, you can see companies either changing up or divorcing themselves from DEI completely. Even MSNBC is reigning in some of their hosts, and booting the most extreme ones. 

(READ: The Truth MSNBC Doesn't Want to Admit About Why Joy Reid Is Gone)

Corporations are trending more to the middle, slowly but surely, and Kennedy represents an idea that Disney can no longer afford. It's time for her to go because Disney needs to start making money now. 

Am I saying that Kennedy's exit isn't exactly mutual? I can't confirm that. This is all speculation, of course, but Kennedy's exit fits a pattern we're seeing in the corporate sector. She may very well be eyeing the door herself as she's beginning to see that a lot of her ideas are going to come with too many roadblocks, and she doesn't want the headache of fulfilling a vision she doesn't believe in. 

It could also be that she's being pressured to leave so that Disney can begin repairing Lucasfilm. Kennedy is tied to the brand's downfall, so much so that people quote South Park's "put a chick in it and make her lame and gay" whenever she's brought up. 

It could be none of those things, but I sincerely doubt it. The culture has changed in America, and when the culture changes, sources of income change too. Disney is going to follow that money as best it can, and it's much easier to do that without it being chained to a bygone social trend that nobody liked in the first place. 

Time will tell what the shift for Disney will ultimately look like, but if the rumors are true, then we're looking at a culture war win brought about by you, and I mean that. As I wrote about Marvel's recent movie, Captain America: Brave New World, Disney seems terrified to step even one toe out of line for fear of making audiences angry. 

(READ: A New Report Shows You've Scared Disney Half to Death)

You are the real reason Disney is likely pivoting, and all you have to do is keep the pressure on. The culture war is likely the most important front in this long-term war to save Western culture from those who despise it. 

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