Alex Wallow, who worked as a director and producer for ABC Sports, called play-by-play at boxing matches, and went on to advise Disney mainstays from Robert A. Iger to Jimmy Kimmel, died Friday at age 80 after a long battle with throat cancer.
Wallow was considered an important guide to Disney’s internal media and television operations, both by those who worked off-camera and by those who appeared regularly in front of the cameras.
At a recent Bloomberg conference in Los Angeles, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel called Wallau “someone who really was my mentor at ABC.” Wallau proved instrumental in clearing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He appeared across the network’s affiliates in 2002 and helped the show navigate its rocky early years.
Kimmel specifically recalled the time he made a joke about Detroit during the 2004 NBA Finals. “If the Pistons win, they’re going to burn down the city of Detroit,” Kimmel joked on air, which led to his show being dropped by Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ. “People were furious and pulled me off the air in Detroit. And Alex Wallow said to me, ‘Without Detroit, it’s over. The show is over.'” And I said, “Really?” And he said, “Oh, ‘You can’t move on without a market that big.’ That was news to me.”
As a result, Wallau helped Kimmel regain the market by shipping his work to Detroit for a week-long show. In 2025, during his suspension from ABC, Kimmel thought deeply about that moment in 2004 and Wallau’s words. When broadcast groups Nexstar and Sinclair canceled “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” it was much more serious than what happened in Detroit. Then, remembering Wallau’s words, Kimmel thought his show might be over. “I was like, ‘It’s over.’ I said to my wife, ‘It’s over, it’s over.’
Wallau joined ABC in 1976, first working for ABC Sports executive Rune Arledge, where he worked with announcers such as Howard Cosell. After Cosell retired in 1986, he became a boxing analyst and won in the sports division under legendary executive Rune Arledge. He quickly gained attention while working as a producer and director, especially in the field of televised boxing, working with notable announcers such as Howard Cosell. Wallau was also involved in selecting television rights for ABC Sports and negotiating broadcast fees. When Cosell retired in 1986, Wallau moved on to work as a boxing analyst, a job he held until 2000 despite a continued battle with stage 4 throat cancer that required multiple surgeries.
In 1993, Mr. Wallau joined the management team of Mr. Iger, who is currently serving his second term as Disney’s CEO. Seven years later, Wallau was named president of ABC, with ultimate responsibility for entertainment, news, sports, finance, and advertising sales. He served as a mentor to many business executives and actors, and developed a reputation as an approachable expert who would sometimes talk on the phone with reporters about sales progress during the industry’s annual “pre-sale” negotiations, production deals with major advertising conglomerates with stakes in the business of a particular ABC show, or the details of the financial management of “NYPD Blue” at a Disney shareholder meeting. He was removed from that role in 2004 following an overhaul of Disney’s television operations, but continued to oversee ABC News, advertising sales, and affiliate relations.
“Alex Wallow has been a dear friend and colleague of mine for 50 years. From his work in sports broadcasting to his influential leadership at ABC and Disney, he helped define what great television is,” Iger said in a statement to Variety. “He led with integrity, conviction and passion and was an inspiration to those around him. I will miss him greatly.”
Wallau spent 13 years as a senior strategic advisor in Disney’s corporate strategy, business development and technology groups, where he helped launch Disney’s direct-to-consumer and international divisions. Mr. Wallau retired in 2020.
Wallow was born in New York City on January 11, 1945, one of seven children. His father owned a hosiery manufacturing business in Stamford, Connecticut.
After graduating from Williams College, he initially worked as a sportswriter and editor, and also worked as a public relations consultant on some political campaigns. He is survived by his wife, Martha; sister Elizabeth Howard and husband Edgar Howard; brother Ward Wallow and wife Elizabeth; sister Claire Musso and husband Carlos Musso; his brother Sheldon Wallow; and many nieces and nephews.
