Disney Cast Member unions have spent years fighting for better wages and working conditions at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. Despite minimal increases, many Disney employees are homeless or living in crowded conditions. Some report delaying necessary medical care and resorting to sex work to scrape by.
While some Guests report customer service declining, many Cast Members point to skyrocketing workloads due to staffing shortages from the pandemic. The Disney Parks use Park Pass reservations to run locations on skeleton crews, meaning that even well-staffed areas struggle to finish the day’s work.
Last week, Disney angered fans even more when it made a video that at first appeared to mock Disney Cast Member wages. Following a popular TikTok trend, the Disney Parks Instagram shared a video asking a Tower of Terror bellhop at Disneyland Paris about his rent. Though it was meant to be a joke about the rent at the haunted hotel attraction, it was quickly taken down due to backlash.
Twitter user @disneydragon preserved a screenshot. “What the f**k is going on over on the DisneyParks Instagram???” he asked:
What the fuck is going on over on the DisneyParks Instagram??? pic.twitter.com/RSi8PDLtZ8
— Bunny Dragon (@DisneyDragon) April 27, 2023
“I feel like this was an attempt to show the world that CMs aren’t as underpaid as people think and it absolutely blew up in their faces,” said @extinctdisney. “I think it’s since been taken down.”
I feel like this was an attempt to show the world that CMs aren’t as underpaid as people think and it absolutely blew up in their faces. I think it’s since been taken down.
— Extinct Disney (@ExtinctDisney) April 27, 2023
“Who knows who runs it these days with all of the lay offs lol,” @johnnyutah269 joked:
Who knows who runs it these days with all of the lay offs lol
— Johnny Utah (@johnnyutah269) April 28, 2023
But others argued that it was obviously a joke and shouldn’t have been removed.
“It was a parody video, they were asking the Bellhop (a character related to HTH) not the actual CM,” @swimmerboys wrote. “Anyone with less than half a brain could tell it was a parody 😂:”
It was a parody video, they were asking the Bellhop (a character related to HTH) not the actual CM. Anyone with less than half a brain could tell it was a parody 😂
— 🎀✨bisexual irritant✨🎀 (@swimmerboys) April 28, 2023
Did you see the video before it was taken down? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.