Disappointed

[Mkcandeias]

Sad to say I don’t find any of this surprising. I started listening roughly 10 years ago, and while I found everything enjoyable at first, it soon became clear that something was rotten in the state of Denmark. The first sign was the number of team members (usually male) who appeared and then disappeared just as quickly. Then it was the weekly “Pete Rants” that were celebrated by the masses. As time went on Pete became more and more of a megalomaniac, clearly believing that he was a true celebrity, and that he alone was influencing the biggest entertainment company in the world. I remember a time when he was discussing a GKTW fundraiser where he stated “I raised all this money,” he quickly backpedaled and changed the I to a we but it was obvious what he believed in his twisted mind. I stopped listening during Covid as it just turned into the weekly Pete negativity show.l, and it became apparent that he really wasn’t all that knowledgeable to begin with. As I’ve started to listen again since his departure, which in true narcissistic fashion he wanted everyone to believe he was acting for the greater good, the show has become enjoyable again. I truly hope the team did not know what was going on and that those hurt are able to heal after exposing the truth, Dustin and Sean your bravery is admirable. The only one who should suffer is Pete.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I wonder if Josh has deleted Pete from his contacts list...

 

[rmoxgt]

Everyone is built differently -I’m not saying it’s unusual to accept such behavior to survive, I’m saying just as many people in that same situation wouldn’t accept that behavior. Some might be genetic, some upbringing, some events through the course of life.

you frequently say things in these boards that make me believe that you had a really nice and sheltered life. you shouldn’t keep commenting on things you don’t understand if you aren’t willing to give a little empathy

 

[DonMacGregor]

I went to look, and if he is getting threatening messages, I sure didn’t see them. Everyone simply stating what is being said here and on the other site. I agree with you completely.

I don't doubt for one minute that there is some segment of the comments that go beyond the pale, but I've heard several people repeat the "death threats" rumor, and that needs to get nipped in the bud.

 

[Hunterr]

Interesting reading the comments on this episode from 3 and a half years ago.

there is nothing i hated more than when Pete would berate staff on air.

I'm not talking about playful banter. That's fine. It was one of my fav things about the shows was the light hearted jabs everyone would take at eachother. No issue there.

But there were days when Pete just turned it up to 11 and humiliate them. Specifically Ryno and Craig (though, i didn't like how he talked to Teresa a lot either. Again, not talking about the playful cattyness. There were times he was so bad to her on air).

Craig always just sort of sat there and took it. Like, of course, what's he gonna do? Start an argument while streaming live? He probably didn't think it was worth it (cant imagine what it was like when cameras were off).

One show, he really ran a joke into the ground "Craig looks like he's watching p0rn in the back" no less than 3 times (i guess Craig staring at his computer and switcher was annoying to him that day on top of whatever else he did or didn't do).

On shows where he was super cranky, i felt a sense of joy when people didn't give him even a polite laugh at a joke he would make.

 

[Hunterr]

Charles Boda here:

Pete confessed to me the truth of what he did to you after almost two years of villainizing you as the one who "broke his heart." Here is how that played out:

As most DIS fans know, I have a felony. What they don't realize is that the "domestic partner" everyone thinks I stabbed was actually an abusive roomate who drugged my drinks and sexually assaulted me. We were never in a relationship, and although I suspected he was obsessed with me, I wasn't entirely aware of the assaults until he showed me pictures of them. I vomitted. The next time he put his hands on me I defended myself. My abuser even tried to visit me in jail to get me to move back into the apartment we shared. Instead, I became homeless but my abuser continued to stalk me for months.

Cut to a few years later. I was living in Pete's spare bedroom and working for the DIS. Pete was my sponsor in an addiction recovery program. He was sitting in his office with me and explained his true behavior to you in some detail. No one else on staff knew, and they likely believed his fictional account of how you "broke his heart."

I told Pete what he did to you was essentially what my abuser did to me. Pete replied that he decided to be my sponsor (after initially thinking I was hot and then finding out I was straight) because helping me would be making amends for what he did to you. This was an emotionally damaging revelation (I was his penance for abusing someone else) and I felt like a fool for letting another abuser get close to me. I did not give him the judgement-free response he thought he was owed. After 3 days of checking my bathroom for hidden cameras (he admitted he had used them before), I moved out of the house but could not afford to quit the DIS.

I continued working and tried not to focus on what I knew about him. I didn't want to be homeless again after so much work turning my life around. I was scared and confused. Eventually, on a trip to DL, I lwt Pete know I was upset that he was involved in fat-shaming Kevin and John at a work dinner without them present. Pete does not accept any criticism from anyone, so he immediately cut me off from certain jobs responsibilities. I spoke with my girlfriend about his behavior when I got home and she helped me confrot what I'd been trying to block out the entire time. Pete is a narcissistic sexual predator who controls eveyone he knows, friends, family, employees, by getting them on his payroll somehow and using his money to exert power over them. Things that were treated normal by Pete ("take close-up pictures of that hot singer at at Tiana's Place, I'm gonna ask the Maitre D' if I can get a private meeting. They know who I am here.) that we'd just avoid and get back to our real work suddenly couldn't be avoided.

Once I faced that reality, I couldn't pretend anymore. I couldn't even look Pete in the face without revulsion. I refused to be controlled, left the DIS, and went freelance.

I internally debated coming out openly about what I had learned, but telling my story meant telling yours. I didn't think it was right to bring you into a public discussion. The internet can be very cruel and victimshaming.

Please forgive my lack of communication, but I have a lot of PTSD about what happened to me by my abuser and then Pete's confession after years of lying to me to gain my trust.

While working for the DIS I loved my job and my coworkers. Few people enabled Pete, most folks were just controlled or extorted by him. There are a lot of victims to go around.

I don't know if this reply will see the light of day. Life has been much more healthy and happy since I left the DIS. I don't want to open up Pandora's box of internet cruelty. Even if I have, I guess it's important to remember what was at the bottom of that mythical box after all the negative forces were set loose on the world: Hope.

I hope you're well. I hope you forgive my silence. I hope someone, somehow, learns from this.

TLDR: I knew, Pete confessed to me, I'm sorry

Charles, you had one of the weirdest character arcs of The Dis history. You were never really formally introduced, which i think didn't work in your favor.
You suddenly appeared in vlogs with your resting b face (which i also suffer from), and had a different energy from the rest of the staff. And the internet hates change and guys with smug vocal inflections.

Everyone assumed you were Petes boyfriend (i think at some point, he got annoyed with the bad comments about you and told people on air to knock it off and that you're not his boyfriend).

When you finally were on the tuesday studio shows, you quickly grew as a fan favorite. You weren't just the smug guy who was in the background of the vlogs. You were a unique fit with the rest of the gang.

I don't really have a point. It's just weird to think back how much of a fan favorite you became after a rocky introduction, then suddenly left (which in light of recent events, makes more sense).

 

[Hunterr]

Tyler from the Disneyland show has something to say. I think the many here who are concerned about others acting as enablers are not out of line.

View attachment 782541

it's too bad they didnt work out. I think the idea was to make the California team more video based like Florida, and they need a California Craig.
But i believe all the Cali team is sort of too spread out in the state to realistically join eachother once a week for a live show (tho, i remember Katrina and Tyler did some stuff at home with Louella (spelling?) a few times).
Not even a "they are no longer working here" announcement either. We were neurolized.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Waking up to a new day, and oh gosh timezones, so much has happened since I went offline yesterday.

Dustin, what can I say, I am just so heartbroken that when you thought you were at one stage of healing, you get new information and have to restart the healing and re assess so much more trauma. I don't think any one can truly understand the strength it must have taken to write those words.

Sean the anguish and pain just flows through your words. Your inner strength is astounding and awe inspiring.

To those who are now coming forward to say PW confided in them or to those yet to come forward who PW confided in them, while you were caught in the web of the master manipulator, and have your own trauma to assess, you have to understand how your silence contributed to the trauma of others. This does not take away from your trauma, but you have to have the self awareness that your actions or silence or both were forces that enabled far more serious and illegal activities. It will take time for you to process this and some of you may not want to process this or acknowledge that in some way, however small you were a contributing factor.

I saw Johns statements too. Its good he is finally making it official and clarifying the company situation. However I agree with the criticism about how he turned on people and made himself and Kevin victims too. He is at a major company event, offline and having to be the host while real time online events are affecting the company. He literally cant be online right now following everything in real time.

I also agree that while those of us reading and participating in the conversations here and on other websites, and some of us have been aware of Seans story for nearly a year, we are actually a minority. There will be a huge amount of people who got Johns email through their DU agent and thought what the beep is going on. There will be a huge amount of people who will come across Johns statement today and over the next few days who will think what the beep is going on.. Ive seen it so many times in the Cruise section, people asking for recommendations of travel agents who had no clue about DU, or who owns the forum or any other facet of the wider Dis community. Ive seen it on the DCL FAN Facebook page, so many people unaware the cruise group they are in is actually run by a travel agency and part of a wider community. Im sure the majority of people actully in Disneyland at the event have no idea whats going on, how could they, they are in Disneyland, not online spending hours following things in real time like we are.

 

[TraderStitch]

I really like John and Kevin as their banter helps the show; however, John's statement trying to redirect and make him and Kevin victims is disturbing.
The internet will always be a festering hole of negative energy... we all know that. Rather than blaming DIS fans for voicing rightful opinions, he should have focused on acknowledging Dustin and Sean. (Charles is just a Pete enabler who didn't like Sean. Funny how he's been silent for years, drops a bomb and has yet to reply when called out by Sean) #TeamDustin #TeamSean

 

[mousefan73]

First and foremost, my heart goes out to the victims involved here and hope we as a community keep them in primary focus. If there is any way to legitimately support them, I too would like to participate. For the others (like DIS staff) who are or will be impacted by this situation directly or indirectly, you have my heartfelt sympathies. This community has given me great joy over the years and I think like many of you I am working through the cycle of emotions from disbelief to acceptance to anger and sadness as I read the posts and allegations. Not to sound overdramatic but it's a cycle of grief, but it's nothing compared to the reports of what the victims allegedly experienced.

John's official statement today (not his post which I also had challenges with) made it clear for me that while it may be in process, PW is not yet fully divested from the businesses. I would imagine the legalities of a separation agreement in light of some of these allegations are taking some time and am not sure if we will know that outcome. They will likely say it's a private matter but it's in the Company's best interests to put this out if they can when they can.

I will say I am very surprised this story hasn't gotten the attention of local media or even national media (or at least none I have noticed) as of yet and think there is a real imminent possibility of that in the coming days. I know they don't need my advice but FWIW I would strongly suggest the leadership team left at DUL/Dis immediately get some very experienced PR people to help them navigate this, in addition to a good legal team and maybe even an HR leader or HR consultant to show you are taking this with the utmost gravity it deserves. This isn't the first or last company to face allegations like this and roadmaps exist (unfortunately) for how to work through these crises and this is a pivotal moment that puts it all on the line. I realize this must be incredibly difficult but the Company's statements today did not leave me with great confidence for the future and path forward. You owe it to your employees and customers to do better.

Again, I end as I started, with the real victims in mind and hoping they get the help they need, and then hoping this Company gets every safeguard in place that to ensure this can never happen again.

perhaps the media has not taken it up as they have a vetting system for reporting, unlike gossip sites? Not defending PW, I just have an general issue with Tattle and anonymous forums being the single source of truth.

 

[GAN]

you frequently say things in these boards that make me believe that you had a really nice and sheltered life. you shouldn’t keep commenting on things you don’t understand if you aren’t willing to give a little empathy

I have empathy, but I’m also not afraid of actual facts. And sure, like many other people I‘ve had a pretty good life -not perfect, but good. I know plenty of people that haven’t had a good life -some managed to grind through it and live a better life than myself and others that just didn’t have it in them. Life presents all of us with some ugly challenges ..we’re all the same in that regard. Sorry if I come across as cold, but if I don’t know a complete story I tend not to judge -even as clear as this seems to be. In some cases, this thread belongs in the Facebook/Twitter sewer that apparently many enjoy.

 

[mousefan73]

I have empathy, but I’m also not afraid of actual facts. And sure, like many other people I‘ve had a pretty good life -not perfect, but good. I know plenty of people that haven’t had a good life -some managed to grind through it and live a better life than myself and others that just didn’t have it in them. Life presents all of us with some ugly challenges ..we’re all the same in that regard. Sorry if I come across as cold, but if I don’t know a complete story I tend not to judge -even as clear as this seems to be. In some cases, this thread belongs in the Facebook/Twitter sewer that apparently many enjoy.

Agree. social media has it's good and bad.. Good it gives victims a place to speak out and bad that many sites are gossip based. I will take caution but not judge based on what I read online. these accusations are horrible. Victims have spoken out publicly if these are truly the victims. ( I can also create a user name and claim to be anyone) though Johns statement confirms things for me.. but vicitims have gone public so please lawyer up and bring it to a close and to justice.

 

[rmoxgt]

I have empathy, but I’m also not afraid of actual facts. And sure, like many other people I‘ve had a pretty good life -not perfect, but good. I know plenty of people that haven’t had a good life -some managed to grind through it and live a better life than myself and others that just didn’t have it in them. Life presents all of us with some ugly challenges ..we’re all the same in that regard. Sorry if I come across as cold, but if I don’t know a complete story I tend not to judge -even as clear as this seems to be. In some cases, this thread belongs in the Facebook/Twitter sewer that apparently many enjoy.

honestly not to be offensive because there is nothing shameful about it. but you come across as something else, neurodivergent (which i am as well), but somehow unaffected by life and its inherent traumas.

have you readdressed yet how you previously couldnt understand why a straight man could get coerced into a relationship with another man? dustin states he was drugged multiple times by pete, at least at the very start of their “relationship” (if you can call it that).

you could take some time to learn about human psychology as well as NPD. people can be easily manipulated with certain tactics and it’s well studied and well described. there are some digestable tiktok videos out there to break it down for you.

you havent been exposed to mentally ill people and it’s apparent. i mean, good for you, but this nitpicking of certain aspects of this narrative when there are even screenshots indicating manipulative patterns of behavior is concerning. you miss the forest for the trees.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Agree. social media has it's good and bad.. Good it gives victims a place to speak out and bad that many sites are gossip based. I will take caution but not judge based on what I read online. these accusations are horrible. Victims have spoken out publicly if these are truly the victims. ( I can also create a user name and claim to be anyone) though Johns statement confirms things for me.. but vicitims have gone public so please lawyer up and bring it to a close and to justice.

Dustin has posted here under his screen name (Dustin), which is the same screenname under which he posted when he worked for the DIS. Which you can tell from the posting history that is still available on that account.

Continuing to question if he is who he says he is does nothing but contribute to ongoing trauma.

Sean has also shared more than enough in terms of screenshots to make it clear that he is who he says he is. JeniLynn has been posting on her personal Instagram

At this point - believe them, or don't - but enough with the insincere questioning of whether they are who they say they are.

 

[BooToYou7]

For anyone having trouble finding the other site because the nfl player named PW is coming up, you can exclude results that mention the NFL or the Saints. Put a minus sign in front of the term you want to exclude and include it with your search term. Like:
-nfl
Or
-saints
so the search term would look like (use full names instead of initials): PW Chinese food -nfl

Also, I get the other site can be unnecessarily mean at times, but gossip, in and of itself, is not always bad. Gossip can give people without a voice and without power a way to spread useful information about people with power. It gave Dustin and Sean a voice when other, more "legitimate" methods wouldn't have worked.

 

[take36]

Oh boy, I hope DL security ensures that Tyler (from the second canceled DL edition) doesn’t run into The Dis celebrations this week.

 

[Princess Jes]

I think it is a really bad look to try to restrict conversation about this in the Facebook group. I posted about it and the thread was locked very quickly. Seems they are trying to hide this and that is not how you deal with this kind of issue if you want to do the right thing.

The FB moderation is a good example of how they are trying to keep this quiet, but it’s reaching critical mass.

I know this was posted a while ago, but I'm catching up and need to go to bed.

If you're referring to the DISboards on FB group, I can clear this up a bit.
We (the mod team there) agreed that we have one post addressing this, the same as here.
Also, facebook has their own mod tools that we cannot change. Algorithms turn off comenting on fast moving posts when comments hit 50 comments. We were actively turning them back on, 2 of us at one time and they just kept getting turned off by FB. We weren't doing that. Facebook also watch when increased traffic occurs and they can also shut down whole groups when too many user reports come through, which was happening too.

Moderating a FB group has its own challenges that the boards don't have: it's not just us, we are working within (and sometimes against) facebook's own rules, moderation and algorithms. The boards aren't beholden to anything but their own rules and moderation.

We, the mod team in the DISboards FB group, were not shutting down commentary.

If you're referring to the DISunplugged fan facebook group, i can't talk to that, so if things were being deleted, maybe that was a mod choice, or FB was puling things that were being reported. If comments go off, again, algorithms are at play too.
You can even see that they were turned off by FB, usually it will say "commenting was turned off automatically" or something to that effect.

Anyway, sorry if you were disappointed in the moderation over there, we have had no mention of this debacle there until today (or yesterday for those in the USA), and i think some mods aren't on the boards so weren't aware of the open convo happening here, so some things may have been deleted (before I got up this morning) but once we were all directed to let it flow stay respectful and abide by rules as always, and keep it contained to one thread, I believe it was let to do so.

We've also, understandably, had an influx of new members, usually we get a lot of spam account requests, but today has been another level.

I know that Jeff ( @OKW Lover ) and @WebmasterJackie and the rest of the team can back me up on all I've said above.

 

[Pyotr]

Oh boy, I hope DL security ensures that Tyler (from the second canceled DL edition) doesn’t run into The Dis celebrations this week.

?

 

[Princess Jes]

Dustin: You are HEARD. You are RESPECTED. You are LOVED. What you ask of us is granted. #Team_Dustin.

@SorcererHeidi would be so proud, this reads exactly as though she wrote it herself.

Completely understand and would never be so bold as to disagree with you or suggest that your feelings and mental health are not what matters most. I think the issue some people are having is that, prior to today, both you and Sean were adamant that no one else knew what was happening behind closed doors (or at least none of your fellow employees).

With the latest revelation regarding Charles and what he knew and when, Sean can no longer join you in that assertion. If Werner told Charles what was happening to Sean, then he may have shared his behavior towards Sean or other victims with others or Charles, (who seems like a real piece of work) could have blabbed, as it seems that kind of behavior is right up his alley. Again, no one is doubting your belief that no one else knew what Werner was doing to you, but it now seems that some truths regarding other individuals WERE known, but the secrets closely held.

Where have I read this, verbatim, before...?
Actually, maybe I’m imagining it? I swear I’d read this elsewhere too.
Or maybe I’m going insane?

 

[rotlex]

There is no way the entire team did not know about this. How in the hell did no one do or say anything? Too scared of losing all those theme park benefits I guess. Disgusting.