Disney upfront features 100+ stars

The Walt Disney Company used its 2026 Upfront presentation in New York on May 12 to showcase programming across ABC, Disney+, Hulu and ESPN, with CEO Josh D’Amaro taking the stage in his first upfront appearance as chief executive. Disney said the event at the North Javits Center featured more than 100 on-stage stars and another 100-plus talent appearances tied to the presentation. The company framed the event around what it called a “One Disney” pitch to advertisers, combining entertainment, sports, streaming and technology in a single sales message. Company materials and trade coverage also showed a broad mix of talent on site, from network stars to ESPN personalities. ### Why was Josh D’Amaro on stage at this year’s presentation? Josh D’Amaro appeared because this was Disney’s first Upfront under its new leadership structure, according to company materials published ahead of and after the event. Disney’s corporate site identifies D’Amaro as chief executive officer, and the May 12 Upfront release said Anne Hathaway introduced him to open the show. (thewaltdisneycompany.com) Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of global advertising, said in a company interview published May 11 that the presentation would reflect “the power of Disney operating as one company.” Ferro said advertisers would see the “alignment, ambition, and momentum” of Disney’s leadership through storytelling, sports, technology and platforms. ### Which stars did Disney put in front of advertisers? (thewaltdisneycompany.com) Disney’s May 12 release named Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Lindsay Lohan, Shaquille O’Neal, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Colman and Quinta Brunson among the on-stage participants. The company said the showcase ended with a surprise performance by Olivia Rodrigo. People’s backstage coverage, republished by Yahoo, listed Angela Bassett, Lindsay Lohan, Quinta Brunson, Shailene Woodley and Jimmy Kimmel among the talent at the event. (thewaltdisneycompany.com) Red-carpet and live-event coverage from ABC stations and other entertainment outlets also placed ESPN figures and cast members from Disney-owned brands at the Javits Center presentation. (thewaltdisneycompany.com) ### What did Disney actually announce across its platforms? Disney’s Upfront materials said the company presented upcoming slates spanning ABC, Disney+, Hulu and ESPN. The company’s recap highlighted entertainment, sports, movies and ad-technology offerings rather than a single network pitch, and outside coverage described updates tied to FX, Hulu, ESPN and Disney+ titles. (yahoo.com) ABC’s press page for the event said the 2026 Upfront was scheduled for May 12 and directed viewers to presentation and red-carpet materials. Disney’s advertising roadmap, published earlier, had already listed the 2026 Upfront as a key event in its annual pitch cycle to marketers. ### Why does Disney call this a “One Disney” pitch? Rita Ferro said Disney was presenting its businesses together to create more value for brand partners. (thewaltdisneycompany.com) Her comments pointed to a sales strategy that links Disney’s franchises, sports rights, streaming inventory and advertising technology in one package, rather than selling each division in isolation. The May 12 release echoed that message by pairing talent from film, television, streaming and sports in one stage show. (detpress.com) Disney’s recap said the event was designed to show the “full scale” of the company’s reach across entertainment, sports, streaming, movies and technology. ### Where can advertisers and viewers see what comes next? Disney posted its official Upfront recap and related advertising materials on its corporate news site on May 12. (thewaltdisneycompany.com) ABC also hosts event pages for presentation assets and red-carpet content tied to the New York showcase. The next concrete milestones are on the release calendar Disney promoted around the event, including upcoming series and seasonal launches across FX, Hulu, ABC and Disney+ in the 2026-27 cycle. (thewaltdisneycompany.com) Disney’s materials say those rollouts will be detailed through network, studio and platform announcements in the months ahead.