Bob Iger. Image via: Michael Reaves/ Getty Images
The longtime Disney chief, who handed the CEO job to Josh D’Amaro in March 2026, has spent the past several years quietly building a portfolio that spans venture capital, women’s soccer and now the Los Angeles Lakers. As Iger and Thrive Capital’s Joshua Kushner finalize their record $12.5 billion Lakers purchase, one of Hollywood’s most recognizable executives is drawing fresh attention to exactly how large his personal fortune has become. Category Details Estimated net worth (2026) $600 million Career field Media and entertainment executive, sports investor Main income sources Disney executive compensation, stock and stock options, advisory and board roles Major investments Thrive Capital, Angel City FC, Los Angeles Lakers (pending NBA approval) Celebrity Net Worth places Iger’s fortune at roughly $600 million as of its August 12, 2026 update, built almost entirely on his three-decade run inside Disney rather than any single windfall. His run of acquisitions, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Fox, reshaped the company and made him one of the highest-paid executives in entertainment along the way, with total compensation exceeding $45 million in fiscal 2025 alone. Year Milestone 1974 Joins ABC in a junior production role 1989 Named head of ABC Entertainment 1996 Disney acquires Capital Cities/ABC 2005 Becomes Disney CEO 2006 Disney acquires Pixar ($7.4 billion) 2009 Disney acquires Marvel ($4 billion) 2012 Disney acquires Lucasfilm ($4 billion) 2019 Disney acquires 21st Century Fox (~$71 billion); Disney+ launches 2021 Retires from Disney 2022 Returns as CEO 2026 Steps aside for Josh D’Amaro; becomes senior adviser His second act has looked different. In 2006, the couple paid roughly $19 million for a Brentwood estate previously owned by Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. They also once held an 11-room, full-floor co-op on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, which they sold in 2018 for $18.75 million. Robert Allen Iger was born on February 10, 1951, in New York City and grew up on Long Island, the son of a World War II Navy veteran. He graduated from Ithaca College in 1973 and briefly worked as a local TV weatherman before finding his footing on the business side of broadcasting at ABC. He and Bay, married since 1995, have two sons together; Bay later became dean of USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Iger detailed much of his career in his 2019 memoir, “The Ride of a Lifetime.
Bob Iger’s business empire now stretches well beyond the entertainment industry that made him famous, and his newest chapter puts him at the center of the NBA’s costliest ownership shakeup yet. Most of that value traces back to stock grants, options and bonuses layered on top of a modest base salary across two separate stints as CEO. The figure also reflects Iger’s pivot toward outside investing in recent years. His stakes in Thrive Capital, Angel City FC and now the Lakers sit alongside his Disney holdings, giving him exposure to sectors well outside traditional media for the first time in his career. Iger’s wealth was never built on one transaction. It compounded across four decades, starting with a television weatherman job in Ithaca and ending with him as the architect of Disney’s modern content empire. Since stepping back from day-to-day Disney operations, Iger has funneled money and influence into venture capital through Thrive Capital and into sports ownership through Angel City FC and, now, the Lakers, spreading his fortune across industries he never touched during his corporate career. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, have owned high-value property on both coasts. Kelley. Iger has been married twice and has two daughters from his first marriage. With the Lakers sale still pending NBA Board of Governors approval, Iger’s next act is as a professional sports owner. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.