Jordan Peterson SLAM Rachel Zegler for Losing Disney $500 MILLION!
In a fiery outburst that’s sent shockwaves through Hollywood and beyond, renowned psychologist and cultural commentator Jordan Peterson has publicly excoriated Rachel Zegler, the star of Disney’s live-action Snow White, for what he claims is her role in the film’s catastrophic financial failure—a loss he pegs at a jaw-dropping $500 million. The remake, which hit theaters on March 21, 2025, was meant to be a crown jewel in Disney’s live-action remake empire but instead has become a cautionary tale of hubris, mismanagement, and a star whose outspokenness may have sunk the ship. With the film’s global box office languishing at a projected $225 million against a production budget north of $270 million—plus hundreds of millions more in marketing and ancillary costs—Peterson’s scathing critique has reignited debates about accountability, wokeness, and the perils of alienating audiences. What sparked this clash of titans, and why is it dominating headlines? Let’s dive into the controversy that’s got the world buzzing.
The Snow White Debacle: A $500 Million Sinkhole?
Disney’s Snow White was a gamble from the start. With a reported production budget of $270 million—swelled by delays, reshoots, a set fire, and Hollywood strikes—and marketing costs estimated between $100 million and $200 million, the film needed to gross well over $500 million just to break even. Industry insiders had pegged that “safety net” at around $500 million to $600 million globally, a threshold met by past successes like Beauty and the Beast ($1.2 billion) and The Lion King ($1.6 billion). But Snow White stumbled out of the gate, earning just $87 million worldwide in its opening weekend and dropping 66% in its second frame to a measly $14.2 million domestically. As of April 8, 2025, its global haul sits at an estimated $225 million, a figure Deadline predicts will leave Disney with a $115 million loss after ancillaries like streaming and home video are factored in.
Peterson, however, isn’t buying the conservative estimates. In a blistering YouTube video uploaded on April 6, 2025, titled “Rachel Zegler’s Woke Snow White Disaster,” he argued that the true cost to Disney—factoring in opportunity costs, brand damage, and the ripple effects on future projects—could exceed $500 million. “This isn’t just a financial flop; it’s a cultural catastrophe,” he declared, his voice rising with trademark intensity. “You’ve got a young actress who took a sledgehammer to a beloved story, alienated half the audience, and cost Disney half a billion dollars in the process. It’s incompetence masquerading as virtue!” The $500 million figure, while speculative, has stuck, amplifying the narrative of a studio in crisis and a star under fire.
Peterson’s Beef with Zegler
Jordan Peterson, a polarizing figure known for his critiques of political correctness and identity politics, zeroed in on Zegler’s behavior as the linchpin of Snow White’s downfall. The 23-year-old actress, who rose to fame with West Side Story, had been vocal about reimagining Snow White as a feminist icon rather than a damsel in distress. At Disney’s 2022 D23 Expo, she told Variety, “It’s not 1937 anymore. She’s not going to be saved by the prince; she’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.” She later called the original prince a “stalker” and dismissed its romance as “weird,” comments that Peterson seized upon as evidence of her disdain for tradition.
“She’s not just criticizing a cartoon; she’s spitting on the legacy of Disney’s first masterpiece,” Peterson fumed in his video, which has racked up over 2 million views. “You don’t take a cultural artifact that’s brought joy to generations and turn it into a soapbox for your half-baked ideology. That’s not courage—that’s arrogance.” He pointed to the backlash that followed Zegler’s remarks, with fans on X and TikTok accusing her of disrespecting the 1937 classic. Clips of her interviews went viral, amassing millions of views and fueling a boycott movement that gained traction with hashtags like #SnowWoke and #BoycottDisney.
Zegler’s political posts only poured fuel on the fire. In August 2024, she tagged a “free Palestine” message onto a Snow White trailer announcement on X, a move that reportedly blindsided Disney execs and sparked death threats against her co-star Gal Gadot, who is Israeli. Then, after Trump’s 2024 election win, she posted on Instagram, “Fuck Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters never know peace,” alienating conservative audiences further. Peterson called these outbursts “career suicide,” arguing they turned a family-friendly film into a political lightning rod. “You don’t get to play Snow White and then tell half your audience to go to hell,” he said. “That’s not how you sell tickets.”
Disney’s Role in the Mess
While Peterson laid the blame squarely at Zegler’s feet, the story’s more complicated. Disney’s decision to greenlight a “modernized” Snow White—replacing the seven dwarfs with CGI “magical creatures” after criticism from Peter Dinklage, and leaning into a feminist narrative—drew skepticism from the start. The trailer, panned as “A.I.-generated” and racking up 1.4 million YouTube dislikes, failed to inspire confidence. Production woes, including a two-year pandemic delay and costly reshoots, ballooned the budget, while the studio’s hands-off approach to Zegler’s PR blunders left insiders baffled. “The first time she shoots her mouth off, you nip it in the bud,” one exec told Variety. Instead, Disney waited until after the election fallout to assign her a “social media guru”—too little, too late.
The film’s dismal reception didn’t help. Critics gave it a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey slamming it as “lazy” and “visually repellent.” Audiences, though kinder at 74%, didn’t show up, leaving Snow White trailing even Disney’s Dumbo ($353 million global against a $170 million budget). Peterson argued this was no coincidence. “Disney handed Zegler the keys to a $270 million car, and she drove it off a cliff,” he said. “They should’ve known better than to let an untested 23-year-old dictate the narrative.”
The Fallout: Zegler Under Siege
Zegler’s response to the flop only deepened the rift. In an Instagram Live on March 30, 2025, she broke down in tears, saying, “I gave everything to this film. If you don’t like it, that’s on you—I’m not here to beg.” She followed with a defiant post on April 5: “This was my heart and soul—sorry it wasn’t enough for some of you.” Peterson pounced, calling it “narcissistic deflection.” “She’s not the victim here,” he said. “The crew, the investors, the fans who wanted a decent movie—they’re the ones who lost out.”
Social media erupted in response. On X, @AmiriKing wrote, “Rachel Zegler SELFISHLY sabotaged a $270m project with her smug attitude,” while @dom_lucre speculated she was “faking happiness” to mask a meltdown. Supporters, like Melissa Barrera, praised her integrity, but the tide had turned. Jonah Platt, son of producer Marc Platt, even chimed in with a since-deleted Instagram rant, accusing Zegler of “immature” behavior that “hurt the film’s box office.” The pile-on was relentless, with Peterson’s critique amplifying the narrative of a star who’d bitten the hand that fed her.
Peterson’s Broader Point
Beyond Zegler, Peterson framed Snow White’s failure as a referendum on “woke” culture in Hollywood. “This is what happens when you prioritize ideology over storytelling,” he argued. “You lose the audience, you lose the money, and you lose the trust.” He pointed to Disney’s string of recent flops—Mufasa: The Lion King barely broke even despite a late surge—as evidence of a broader reckoning. “People don’t want lectures from their entertainment,” he said. “They want beauty, meaning, competence. Disney forgot that.”
Critics of Peterson counter that he’s oversimplifying. Film scholar Kelechi Ehenulo told the BBC that Zegler’s become a “scapegoat” for systemic issues, from Disney’s remake fatigue to the polarized climate of 2025. “She’s a young Latina actress caught in a culture war she didn’t start,” Ehenulo said. Others note that $500 million might exaggerate the loss—Deadline’s $115 million estimate is more grounded—but Peterson’s hyperbole has a point: the damage to Disney’s brand and bottom line is undeniable.
What’s Next?
For Disney, Snow White is a wake-up call. With CEO Bob Iger reportedly “furious,” the studio is rethinking its live-action slate, with projects like Tangled on hold. For Zegler, the road ahead is rocky. She’s set to play Eva Perón in Evita in London starting June 2025, a chance to pivot, but whispers of a Hollywood “blacklist” linger. Peterson, meanwhile, has cemented his role as a cultural provocateur, turning a box-office bomb into a rallying cry.
As of April 8, 2025, the Snow White saga remains a lightning rod—proof that in today’s world, a fairy tale can become a battlefield. Whether Peterson’s $500 million claim holds water or not, one thing’s clear: this clash has everyone talking, and the fallout is far from over.
