Did Ben Shapiro spook Disney into re-shooting Snow White?

Disney’s live-action Snow White remake owes part of its rocky path to conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and his media empire, The Daily Wire. Shapiro’s relentless critique of its “woke” overhaul ignited a backlash that forced Disney into costly reshoots. Yet, despite the effort, the film flopped.

Here's how it all went down.

Shapiro’s beef started with Zegler’s 2022 Extra interview. This was porbably one of her weirder movies. Think about it, she's been chosen as the elad actress in a magical whimsical fairy tale, but she uses the opportunity to bash it, saying the 1937 Snow White is “problematic” for its romance with “a guy who literally stalks her.” But don't worry. She promises it was going to be rewritten. (Also, it's worthwhile noting that woke was still very much 'in fashion' at this point, so maybe if Kamala had become Queen USA< things may have been different for the new and improved 'Snow White'. But she wasn't.

Back to Zegler. Shapiro fired back at her, arguing on The Damage Report in 2023 that Disney missed the story’s essence. “They think it’s all about patriarchy and politics,” he said, “but they don’t see it’s a coming-of-age story of a young girl encountering someone to found a family with.” He also praised the original’s depth, noting, “The early Disney fairy tales are replete with tremendous darkness… If you watch the original Snow White from Disney, it is incredibly dark… very scary. Kids were crying in theaters.”

To him, Zegler’s version stripped away that raw power for sanitized empowerment. Her Latina casting also bugged him: in July 2023, he insisted, “Snow White is maybe the only racially specific white princess… ‘Skin as white as snow.’ That’s literally why she has her name.”

But Ben being Ben, he didn’t just rant: he acted. In October 2023, The Daily Wire unveiled Snow White and the Evil Queen, starring white conservative YouTuber Brett Cooper, launched via its Bentkey app on Disney’s 100th anniversary, a brilliant if pointed jab.

Shapiro told The Critical Drinker in November 2023, “We got the idea the day Rachel Zegler said she hated the original Snow White and wanted to rip the guts out of it… I was like, ‘Okay, we’re just going to make Snow White.’” Pitched as a return to Grimm’s “timeless values,” CEO Jeremy Boreing slammed Disney’s take for pushing “destructive lies of the current moment.” The teaser’s classic vibe—forest scenes, singing, and a white Snow White—ramped up the pressure, with Mediaite calling it a counter to Hollywood’s “unacceptable wokeness.”

Disney buckled. Zegler’s polarizing antics just got too much. From “Free Palestine” posts, anti-Trump rants, and then clashes with Israeli co-star Gal Gadot, she didn't hold back.

Page Six said execs begged her to quiet down, while Variety tied her posts to death threats against Gadot, prompting producer Marc Platt’s intervention.

The dwarf fiasco, sparked by Peter Dinklage’s 2024 critique of the original as “backwards,” led Disney to swap actors for CGI “magical creatures,” irking fans more. Shapiro’s film, hinting at traditional dwarves (though uncast), kept the heat on. Cultural chatter credits The Daily Wire with forcing reshoots—Shapiro himself suggested his campaign made Disney “go shoot it again”—bloating the budget and delaying release as they scrambled to adjust.

Sadly though, after all that time, effort and money (!) it didn’t work.

Snow White debuted with $43 million domestically—below the $48–58 million forecast—and a global $87.3 million, dwarfed by hits like The Lion King (2019, $1.663 billion) or Cinderella (2015, $91.8 million adjusted opening). Against its $270 million cost, it’s a bust, unlikely to break even with marketing factored in. Critics scored it 44% on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences gave a B+ CinemaScore. As Shapiro points out, don't get fooled by the score, it's very weak for a kids’ film, where A-minuses are standard. Shapiro’s take on Disney’s “very scary” original held some truth, its darkness once captivate, but his pushback exposed a modern disconnect. Post-pandemic flops like Mulan ($70 million) echo this, with “wokeness” and poor execution alienating viewers.

Shapiro scared Disney into rethinking Snow White, but the fix flopped. His own film, clouded by Cooper’s 2025 Daily Wire exit, remains untested. He’d argued, “They can’t keep turning out trash IP… and hope audiences show up,” and Disney’s stumble proves him half-right, they’re rattled, but still reeling from a self-inflicted wound.

Better luck next time.