Jabarkan Chief Executive Officer dari Bob Chapek

In February 2020, Chapek was named chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company replacing Bob Iger, who will remain as Executive Chairman until 2021. This was considered a surprise to many Disney employees, who had seen Tom Staggs as the heir apparent to Bob Iger. In April 2020, Chapek was elected to the Walt Disney Company's board of directors. It was later revealed, the same month, that while Chapek remained CEO, Iger had resumed control of the company's operational duties for the time being, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In numerous interviews with financial news outlets during the pandemic, Chapek has said he is focusing on opening Disney's theme parks. In May 2020, Shanghai Disneyland opened with limited guest capacity capped at approximately 24,000 visitors per day, pursuant to government regulations. Chapek acknowledged that this was a "baby step" but found the attendance figures encouraging, considering that the limited number of tickets were selling out. Chapek vowed to increase capacity in the weeks to come, albeit in a conservative manner.

Chapek stated that when Walt Disney World opens in July 2020, both employees and guests will be required to take temperature checks, wear face masks, and observe social distancing guidelines. He said that the company would continue to work with local government and healthcare professionals to open the parks responsibly. He added that when the parks reopened, the first attraction he'll ride will be Pirates of the Caribbean. In October 2020, Chapek agreed to keep Disney World at only 25% capacity until the CDC issued new guidance, and also stated that with regards to reopening Disneyland in California, "It's not much of a negotiation. It's pretty much a mandate that we stay closed." In March 2021, after California eased COVID-19 restrictions, he then stated, "Here in California, we're encouraged by the positive trends we're seeing and we're hopeful they'll continue to improve and we'll be able to reopen our Parks to guests with limited capacity by late April." By July 2021, Walt Disney World had officially ended their mask mandate (except while on Disney transportation) and temperature checks, and were operating at higher capacity. That same month, fireworks shows at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland returned.

In October 2020, Chapek spoke about the company's decision to begin focusing on streaming media, including Disney+, and direct-to-consumer advertising. Multiple films that were originally slated for theatrical releases, including Mulan and Soul, skipped theaters and were instead released only to Disney+ for a premium fee. In January 2021, it was announced that Disney's Magical Express, a complimentary transportation and luggage service delivery to Walt Disney Resort guests that began in 2005, would be ending in 2022. In August 2021, the Walt Disney Company announced that FastPass, which had been free since its introduction in 1999, would be retired and replaced with Genie+, a system costing guests $15 per day with the option of adding "Lightning Lane," which will be used for top-tier attractions, for an additional charge.