Zenia Mucha, formerly Disney’s top spokesperson for almost two decades, was recruited as part of the team that coached TikTok’s CEO for his congressional hearing earlier this month, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
In addition to Mucha, TikTok tapped former Obama advisers David Plouffe and Jim Messina to prep Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, for more than a month before Chew’s March 23 appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee — which observers said only reinforced anti-TikTok attitudes among both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who are concerned about the app’s ownership by Chinese parent company ByteDance.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mucha could not be reached for comment.
Mucha, after nearly 20 years as head of communications for Disney, announced in the summer of 2021 that she would step down at the end of that year alongside Bob Iger’s exit from the media giant. Iger last fall rejoined Disney as interim CEO.
The U.S. government has threatened to ban TikTok unless ByteDance sells its ownership stake in the app. Analysts said the chances of an American ban on the app increased after Chew’s appearance House hearing, given lawmakers’ deep skepticism about the TikTok CEO’s answers about China’s influence over TikTok and the communist regime’s ability to track user data via the app, as well as TikTok’s efforts to curb misinformation and harmful content. China’s commerce ministry last week said it was “firmly opposed” to a forced sale of TikTok and that any such transaction would be subject to Chinese government approval.
A new survey released Friday found that 50% of American adults favor a U.S. government ban of TikTok, which claims to have more than 150 million U.S. monthly users. The survey of American adults, conducted by the Pew Research Center between March 20-26, found that among people who actually use TikTok just 19% support a ban.
