At one point, Geoff Morrell was known as a White House correspondent for ABC News, spending four years working that beat in the mid to late 2000’s.
Most recently, though, Morrell is known as a former Walt Disney communications executive who served in that capacity for almost four months between Jan. 2022 and April 2022.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Morrell, who served as Disney’s chief corporate affairs officer, made $8,365,403 in total compensation during his brief tenure.
According to their calculations, this roughly translates to $119,505 daily (!), based on a proxy statement filed by Disney on Tuesday.
The amount paid to Morrell has brought on new criticism towards Disney, especially from investor Nelson Peltz, who has said that the executive compensation at the media giant is “over the top.”
Morrell’s short stint as Disney communications head was a turbulent one as it occurred during the high point of the political battle between Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis and the entertainment giant led by former CEO Bob Chapek over Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill.
Had Morrell completed a full year at Disney, based on these amounts revealed, he stood to earn more than $25 million, which is a lot more than the $18 million Robin Roberts reportedly earns, according to Celebrity Net Worth, making her the highest paid on-air personality at ABC News, Morrell’s former network.
It’s worth noting that the average ABC News News salary ranges from approximately $41,965 per year for a Desk Assistant to $149,452 per year for a Manager, according to Glassdoor.