Bob Iger Stresses Value of Communal Cultural Experiences in World “Rife With Disruption and Polarization” at PAC NYC Icons of Culture Gala

Ariana DeBose, Nick Jonas and ABC News anchors Robin Roberts and David Muir were among the luminaries who gathered in lower Manhattan Tuesday night to celebrate former Disney CEO Bob Iger as the 2026 PAC NYC Icon of Culture.

But there was one surprise Disney star that Iger was particularly humbled to share the stage with: Mickey Mouse.

A life-size version of the iconic cartoon character made a show-stealing appearance, walking out to gasps from the well-heeled audience before conducting the orchestra as a video played highlighting Disney’s vast film and TV library.

Later, Iger called Mickey a “true icon of culture.”

“I’m always humbled when I get an award. But to be called an icon of culture, well, it’s just a little bit over the top. Particularly when Mickey Mouse is onstage,” Iger said.

Though Disney is arguably best known for its film and TV, Tuesday’s event at the Perelman Performing Arts Center at One World Trade Center was surprisingly heavy on highlighting Disney’s theatrical productions and music.

Jonas spoke about how Iger helped him and his brothers launch their musical career.

“Bob believed in us in a way that we probably didn’t believe in ourselves,” he said, calling Iger “one of the finest cultivators of talent the industry has ever seen.”

Jonas then introduced a live medley of hits from the Disney musicals Newsies, Aladdin, Frozen and The Greatest Showman, the stage version of which is set to begin performances in London’s West End in the spring of 2027.

EGOT-winning Greatest Showman composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul also performed two more songs from the 2017 movie-turned-musical and performed the new song, “The Show Goes On,” from the stage production.

DeBose also performed as did Samara Joy, who opened the show with “Stardust” and “Just in Time,” and Rufus Wainwright, who closed the show with “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Disney’s Pinocchio, with Jiminy Cricket himself taking the stage at the end of Wainwright’s performance, in the second cameo from a Disney animated character Tuesday night.

Hamilton actors Austin Scott and Isaiah Johnson also performed “One Last Time,” one of Iger’s favorite songs from the acclaimed, Tony-winning musical, the filmed version of which debuted on Disney+ in 2020, bringing it to home audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. One Last Time is also the title of Iger’s forthcoming memoir about his return to Disney as CEO from 2022 to 2026.

And Roberts, Muir, PAC NYC Chairman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro all sang Iger’s praises as they reflected on his decades-long career at Disney.

Iger quipped when he took the stage: “Enough about me.”

In all seriousness, Iger added he was “overcome with gratitude for this unbelievable tribute. To say that was over the top maybe would be an understatement.” He went on to thank Muir, Roberts, Pasek, Paul, Jonas and Bloomberg in particular, reflecting on how PAC NYC was part of the rebuilding of lower Manhattan after the tragedy of 9/11, calling the space a “tremendous symbol of true resilience.”

Iger also spoke about the value of communal cultural experiences in the current climate.

“In our world, which is so rife with disruption and polarization, anxiety and challenge, art and culture have really never been more vital, more important,” he said. “To enable people to be entertained around the world and to do so in communal experiences all at once together in places like this, it’s really truly exceptional.”

The former Disney CEO also revealed the roots of his appreciation for Hamilton‘s “One Last Time” and joked about the reality that keeps him from living its lyrics.

“I always had this great vision. If you listen to the words from scripture, of having a chance to sit under my own vine and fig tree and have a moment alone in the shade, and we have a fig tree in front of our house that’s about 100 years old,” he said, before joking: “Unfortunately, that fantasy of mine to sit under that tree and have a moment alone in the shade is interrupted by a couple of dozen figs that drop out of the tree every minute, and so it’s impossible to really enjoy that moment alone.”