Josh D’Amaro made his Upfront debut as CEO alongside a sweeping lineup of more than 100 on-stage stars — supported by an incremental 100+ talent appearances – including Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Lindsay Lohan, Shaquille O’Neal, Ewan McGregor, Oliperformance from GRAMMY®-winner and Disney alum Oli
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Disney kicked off its 2026 Upfront today with “The Devil Wears Prada 2” star Anne Hathaway introducing Josh D’Amaro to the stage for his first upfront presentation as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, setting the tone for an electrifying showcase spanning the full scale of Disney’s influence across entertainment, sports, streaming, movies and technology.
Energized by on‑stage appearances from more than 100 notable figures — and supported by an incremental 100+ talent moments — the presentation underscored Disney’s position at the forefront of the global media industry and its ambitious path ahead, driven by the powerful intersection of fandom, storytelling, innovation, and creative culture redefining the future of the industry.
Rita Ferro, president of global advertising, reinforced the strength of Disney’s unmatched entertainment and sports portfolio, highlighting the stories that move people, the franchises that fuel global fandom, and the live moments that unite audiences around the world. Looking ahead to 2027, Disney will bring together four of the year’s most significant cultural moments: the College Football Playoff Championship Game, the GRAMMYs®, Super Bowl LXI, and the Oscars® with New Year’s Rockin’ Evekicking off the year at massive scale.
Beyond these must-see live moments, Disney has one of the largest libraries of originals, series and theatrical blockbusters, all deepening the Company’s connection with one of the largest ad‑supported audiences in streaming – all powered by a connected, end-to-end Disney platform bringing world-class content, data and technology together.
Key Highlights from the Stage:
The record-breaking, sports-entertainment phenomenon Savannah Bananas, featuring Tony®- nominated actor Derek Klena, welcomed attendees with an interactive performance of “The Greatest Show” from “The Greatest Showman.”
Academy Award®-winner and “The Devil Wears Prada 2” star Anne Hathawayopened the show with an introduction to The Walt Disney Company’s Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro.
In a “this just in” moment, “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Robertsrevealed that Conan O’Brienwill return to host the 99th Academy Awards® for what’s sure to be a phenomenal three-peat.
Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe, Billie Lourdand Emma Robertswelcomed Paul Anthony Kellyto FX’s “American Horror Story,” revealing that the “Love Story” actor will join the star-studded 13th installment of the award-winning series.
Plus, Hollywood heavyweights unveiled first-looks at a robust slate of highly-anticipated titles, including Brie Larsonand Olivia Colmanfor FX’s high-stakes psychological drama, the limited series “Cry Wolf;” Kaia Gerber, Igby Rigneyand Homer Gere for FX’s seductive Ryan Murphy thriller, “The Shards;” Christopher Meloni, William H. Macyand Mandy Moore for Hulu’s Dan Fogelman football family drama, “The Land;” Lindsay Lohan, Shailene Woodleyand Kit Haringtonfor Hulu’s limited series “Count My Lies;” and Claire DanesandEwan McGregorfor Hulu’s drama series “The Spot.”
Jason Kelceand Laura Rutledgesurprised attendees with the introduction of an all-star lineup of Super Bowl MVPs including Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Steve Young, Emmitt Smith, Desmond Howard, Jerry Rice, Hines Ward, Kurt Warner and Nick Foles,all on-stage at the Javits Center in celebration ofSuper Bowl LXI on ESPN and ABC.
The Manning brothers teased their participation in ESPN’s official Super Bowl pre-game show appearing onstage alongside the Monday Night Football and Super Bowl broadcasting crew of Joe Buck, Aikman, Lisa Salters and Rutledge. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos unveiled that, following the GRAMMYs® on ABCon February 7, 2027, “Live with Kelly and Mark” will broadcast live from the iconic Santa Monica Pier all week leading into the big game. The state‑of‑the‑art ESPN Beach will anchor studio coverage from the Santa Monica Pier and serve as ESPN’s multiplatform hub of Super Bowl content with fan activations and beach-wide experiences. Plus, Joe Buckand commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell, highlighted the NFL and ESPN’s expanded relationship including ESPN’s growing portfolio of NFL Network, NFL RedZone distribution and the NFL Fantasy App.
“Dancing with the Stars”season 34 winner Robert Irwinand host of “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro,” alongside 40 pros – including Mark Ballas, Alan Bersten, Witney Carson, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Jenna Johnson, Danielle Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa and more – brought Halftime to the Upfront with a show-stopping performance. Irwin also announced that Savannah Bananasfan-favorite Jackson Olson will be one of next season’s Mirrorball contestants, and Olson revealed that Disney+ is the official home of the Banana Bowl.
Sigourney Weaver announced that “Avatar: Fire and Ash” launches on Disney+ on June 24, 2026. Rosario Dawson shared that “Ahsoka” season two will launch on Disney+ early 2027 and revealed that production recently wrapped, promising that “it goes even bigger and more expansive with some very thrilling turns.” Robert Downey Jr.,Tom Hiddleston and Paul Bettany took the stage to guide the audience through the Marvel portion of the presentation, celebrating the legacy and future of the MCU. During the appearance, Bettany announced that “VisionQuest” — the conclusion of the WandaVision trilogy — will debut on Disney+ on October 14, 2026.
All the way from Springfield, special guests from “The Simpsons” Homer, Marge, Bartand Lisa Simpsonintroduced beloved “Scrubs” stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalketo the stage to reveal that the long-awaited revival, recently renewed for a second season, was the #1 new comedy of the season.
Shaquille O’Nealdropped a few Shaq Stats with his “Inside the NBA” co-host Kenny Smithand NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. Following that, some of the most elite athletes in sports Lauren Betts, Sarah Strongand SportsCenter’s Christine Williamson united to introduce American tennis legend Billie Jean King who energized the crowd with a few volleys and shared an exclusive look at ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary “Give Me the Ball!”
College GameDayhost Rece Davis and analystsKirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfeeand Nick Sabantook the stage to unveil the first two weeks of the 40th season of College GameDay, and revealed ESPN’s industry-leading, early season college football schedule, which kicks off with Week 0 on three different continents before Week 1 action takes over ABC and ESPN with some of the biggest brands in the sport.
Disney’s 2026 Upfront came to a close when Jimmy Kimmeland his daughter Jane introduced 14-time GRAMMY® nominee, three-time GRAMMY® winner, and two-time GRAMMY® performerOliars old, to close out the presentation with a show-stopping musical performance
