Iconic Medieval Times rocked by knights will be knights culture of sex harassment and horse abuse, ex-workers claim

Former Medieval Times workers claim the iconic dinner-theater chain is plagued by a frat-like, “knights will be knights” culture of sexual harassment and horse abuse, according to a bombshell report.The company, which operates 10 “castles” across North America and draws roughly 2.5 million guests annually, became the center of a bitter labor dispute after employees sounded the alarm about seedy working conditions, Vanity Fair reported.Staff at multiple castles — including the Lyndhurst, New Jersey, kingdom — said they encountered a locker-room culture resembling a fraternity, where new hires were subjected to hazing, according to the outlet.“There’s like a whole pseudo-fraternity thing going on, ” said Purnell Thompson, who spent years working in the stables at the Garden State location.Sean Quigley, an ex-lord chancellor at Lyndhurst who shared a locker room with the all-male staff of knights, claimed the performers “would pull down their pants and wait for someone to come around the corner.”Quigley added there was a “knights will be knights” attitude.A former employee at the Scottsdale, Arizona, castle told the outlet he was forced to run in the sand until he vomited for his first two weeks on the job.

The macho culture also allegedly extended across the castle, where female workers claimed they were incessantly harassed.Lexi-Lynn Taylor — a onetime queen at the Buena Park, California, castle — said many of the knights harassed and inappropriately touched her, including one performer who “wouldn’t take no for an answer.”The castle was also a haven for casual hookups that often turned messy, the staffers claimed.“Everybody dated everybody,” said former queen Kate Farrell.“Things can get messy.”After sharing a kiss at a Christmas party, Taylor was slut-shamed and called a “knight’s mattress” and “ye old whore,” she claimed.

Another knight “pushed me up against my car and pressed his hand on my crotch,” said...