The Walt Disney Company will honor Chris Berman as one of 13 people receiving the Disney Legends Award this year, putting the broadcaster in the company’s highest class of recognition. The ceremony will close D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event and will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest.
The announcement lands now because the Disney Legends ceremony is the final day of the event, and the honorees span music, television and film. The Jonas Brothers are among them in the Television and Music category, with Nick Jonas saying the moment feels surreal, Joe Jonas calling it incredible and Kevin Jonas saying it is one of the greatest things ever.
For the brothers, the honor reaches back through a long Disney history. Nick Jonas said their first big Disney obsession was Beauty and the Beast, and he noted that he played Chip the teacup in the Broadway production in 2001 and 2002. He also said the brothers were signed with Disney in the early 2000s, while Kevin Jonas pointed to work that ran from JONAS to Camp Rock.
That Disney connection is clear for the musicians, but the company has not explained in the available details what specifically led to Berman’s selection. The class is still notable for its size and for the range it covers: 13 individuals, one highest honor and a ceremony that is meant to cap the company’s fan event with a marquee list of names.
What comes next is the ceremony itself, where the Disney Legends Award will be handed out as the closing act of D23. For Berman, it will be the first public moment in this rollout where the honor moves from announcement to recognition, and it will do so without the company yet spelling out why he was chosen.
