Mark Shapiro has held just about every type of executive role there is to hold around Hollywood and the larger entertainment industry. As president of TKO, the joint entity that combined UFC and WWE a couple of years back, Shapiro has gone back to his roots as a sports executive.

Shapiro got his start at ESPN, where he began as a production assistant before working his way up to executive vice president of programming and production at the Worldwide Leader. Since leaving in 2005, Shapiro’s powers have only grown. He’s now the president of William Morris Endeavor, one of Hollywood’s “big three” agencies, representing talent ranging from sports to film to literature and beyond.

Given his lengthy resume, which includes stops as CEO Six Flags and Dick Clark Productions along with numerous executive producer credits on various film projects, Shapiro has frequently been floated as a potential successor to Disney CEO Bob Iger. Shapiro began his career at the mouse house, after all. Even former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein endorsed him in a Wall Street Journal profile from August.

But in a recent conversation with The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Shapiro tried to put an end to the speculation. “I’m not interested,” the TKO executive said bluntly.

Does Mark Shapiro want to succeed Bob Iger at Disney? https://t.co/meQEXCFSwI pic.twitter.com/P1Ykwp8djY

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) November 5, 2025

“I’m not interested in doing that,” Shapiro answered when Marchand inquired about the possibility he could replace Iger. “I love the Walt Disney Company though. And I mean love, love, love. I worked there 12 years, and I just buy into the pixie dust. Have a magical day. You know, I couldn’t take my kids to Disney World enough, even now. I just, I love it.

“I have such an appreciation for what Walt Disney created,” he continued. “But that was a different time in my life, I love what I’m doing now. I love TKO. I love WME. I love the people that I work with. I love where we’re going. And we’re really in the content space … but touching all forms of culture. Not just sports. We’re touching Hollywood. We’re touching culinary. We’re touching theater. We’re touching fashion. From who we represent and/or what we own, we’re playing in all the spaces. So if you’re a little bored, tired of sports, shift a little bit to Hollywood for a couple days. Or spend some time with our book agents, who are kind of on top of what the next best seller is going to be. Or which best seller might be the next great series or movie. I mean, talk about the toy factory. This is at another level. So I love what I do and I love the people around me, and I wouldn’t want to leave that at this point in my life.”

By corporate speak standards, this is a pretty emphatic “not happening” from Mark Shapiro. And to his point, why would he? His current jobs allow him to be involved in such a wide range of businesses. Disney is a large company with all sorts of businesses itself, no doubt. But nothing can compare to a talent agency that represents everyone under the sun.

It seems pretty clear that Shapiro is already in the jobs he wants to be in, and Disney will need to look elsewhere for its succession plan.