Kathleen Kennedy Pushes for Oscar Glory for Disney Boss Amid Academy Backlash

Kathleen Kennedy, who runs Lucasfilm and is one of the top names behind the Star Wars universe, is pushing hard for Disney CEO Bob Iger to receive an Honorary Oscar.

According to a report from Variety, Kennedy has been personally reaching out to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, trying to build support for Iger to be honored at this year’s Governors Awards.

Kennedy’s efforts are apparently focused on board-level members inside the Academy, where she’s been encouraging them to put Iger’s name forward for one of the special honors.

The sources say she’s doing this as the Academy is in the middle of its membership meetings and while talks are ongoing about other matters, which Kennedy has used to her advantage to advocate for her boss.

Bob Iger, of course, is the guy who made huge moves for Disney by bringing in Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm. Those deals helped Disney dominate the box office for years. While many inside the industry agree Iger deserves recognition, some Academy board members feel uncomfortable with how this is happening.

The issue, they say, is that Disney owns ABC, the network that airs the Oscars every year. And right now, ABC and the Academy are in talks to renew their deal past 2028, the year of the 100th Oscars.

Some insiders believe it’s a bad look to give Iger an award at the same time that his company is negotiating with the Academy. One person familiar with the situation told Variety that Iger didn’t ask Kennedy to do any of this, and he wasn’t even aware she was reaching out.

Still, it’s common in the Academy for people to campaign quietly behind the scenes to get someone an honorary award, an insider told the outlet. But Kennedy’s deep involvement has made some people question her reasons.

Neither Kennedy nor Iger gave a statement about the report, and the Academy didn’t comment either.

Kennedy has been in the spotlight a lot lately. Back in February, Variety reported that she might leave Lucasfilm soon. Her contract runs through 2025, and sources say she’s been planning for someone else to take over.

But others think she might step down earlier. Kennedy hasn’t made anything official, but she did mention in a past interview that she’s been thinking about her next steps.

Since Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, Kennedy has been in charge. She helped move the Star Wars franchise into streaming with shows like The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka. Some shows and movies did really well, like The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi.

But others, like Solo, didn’t perform as expected. And since 2019, she hasn’t been able to get a new Star Wars movie into production — except for a Mandalorian film starring Pedro Pascal. Another project, Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and possibly starring Ryan Gosling, is now in casting.

The Honorary Oscars are handed out every November during the Governors Awards. Past winners include legends like Mel Brooks, Samuel L. Jackson, Lauren Bacall, and David Lynch. The Academy is expected to announce this year’s recipients soon.

Kennedy herself got a big honor back in 2018, when she received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award with her husband and producing partner Frank Marshall. That award isn’t technically an Oscar, but Kennedy has had a long career filled with major nominations — including nods for E.T., The Color Purple, The Sixth Sense, Seabiscuit, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

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