Ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner says ‘funny, beautiful women are impossible to find’
Women in business who are “funny” and “beautiful” are hard to find, according to former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner.
Eisner, who ran the media giant between 1984 and 2005, made the comments as part of an on-stage conversation with Holywood actor Goldie Hawn at the Aspen Ideas Festival. He said the Death Becomes Her star was the exception because she “didn’t think she was attractive” and outlined his theory on why it had been difficult to find funny, beautiful women.
“From my position, the hardest artist to find is a beautiful, funny woman,” he claimed. “By far. They usually – boy am I going to get in trouble, I know this goes online – but usually, unbelievably beautiful women, you being an exception, are not funny.
“I know women who have been told they’re beautiful, they win Miss Arkansas, they don’t ever have to get attention other than with their looks. So they don’t tell a joke. In the history of the motion-picture business, the number of beautiful, really beautiful women – a Lucille Ball – that are funny, is impossible to find.”
Eisner’s time at the house of mouse saw him help steer films such as The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. Since leaving, he has hosted his own talk show and set up his own production company that creates and distributes online videos.