Disney executive's close friendship with Kamala Harris under scrutiny as ABC hosts critical debate
Disney executive Dana Walden has decades-long friendship with Democratic nominee
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ahead of next month's presidential debate on ABC News, a potential conflict of interest is raising eyebrows.
Dana Walden, a senior Disney executive whose portfolio includes ABC News, is one of Vice President Kamala Harris' "extraordinary friends," according to a report in the New York Times. Walden and Harris have known each other since 1994, while their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980s.
Dana Walden has donated to dozens of Democrats and contributed to Harris’s political campaigns since at least 2003, when she ran for district attorney in San Francisco. She went on to donate to her subsequent campaigns for California Attorney General and U.S. Senate, as well as her 2020 White House bid. Harris even credited Dana and Matt for her marriage at a fundraiser in April 2022, which was held at Walden's home in Los Angeles.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST MAKES ‘CONSERVATIVE’ CASE TO VOTE KAMALA HARRIS
ABC told the New York Times that Walden, who is Disney’s highest-ranking television executive, does not weigh in on editorial decisions. The network's primetime debate is set for Sept. 10, and will be moderated by ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Kamala Harris / Dana Walden
"ABC News has built its longstanding reputation on journalistic integrity," the network said in its statement. "All editorial decisions are in the hands of ABC News management and the seasoned journalists and producers of ABC, who hold themselves to the highest journalistic standards."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Disney Entertainment said in a statement to the New York Times that Walden has not hosted a fundraiser for Harris since June 2022, when ABC News came under her scope of responsibility, but in 2023, she donated $20,000 to support President Biden and the Democratic Party, according to public filings reported by the Times.
OpenSecrets finds Walden has donated extensively to Democrats across the nation over the years, including Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Raphael Warnock and Cory Booker, among numerous others.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last month, Walden was described as a "Hollywood winner" in the rapid ascension of Harris to de facto Democratic nominee, according to a Puck report. Harris has extensive ties to the entertainment community, but few "go as far back with Harris as Walden does, nor do they enjoy the perch and purview Walden does at Disney," the report said.
"[If there’s a Hollywood winner in her ascension it’s probably Dana Walden, the Disney TV chief," Puck reported.
Vice President Harris and top Disney executive Dana Walden are "extraordinary friends." (ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images)
Walden is among the insider candidates who could take over as the next Disney CEO when Bob Iger's contract expires in 2026, according to reports, and her coziness with a possible future president likely doesn't hurt her stock.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital has reached out to ABC News, the Trump campaign and the Harris campaign for comment. Former President Trump is suing ABC News and George Stephanopoulos for defamation after the ABC News host said several times on air that the former president was "found liable for rape" during a March 10 interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
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Fox News' David Rutz, Hanna Panreck, Brian Flood and Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.