For 43 years, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament performers across North America have captivated audiences as jousting knights and bejeweled ladies on horseback.But now the company’s own castle is under siege as former employees allege in lawsuits that the company shrouds a culture of animal cruelty, sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying and retaliation for reporting abuse.At the shows, guests dine on what’s billed as a medieval-style feast, as they cheer on armor-clad knights, who participate in a tournament on horseback and battle with swords.The chain established its first location in Kissimmee, Florida, near Orlando, in 1983.The company now employs more than 2,000 at 10 "castles" in the United States and Canada.William Elliot III, 35, assistant head knight and former magician in Las Vegas, makes the grand entrance as the red knight, along with fellow knights during a show at Medieval Times in Buena Park Friday, June 28, 2013.
(Allen J.Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)MEDIEVAL-THEMED LIVE SHOWS DRAW YOUNG WOMEN WHO ARE LOOKING FOR LOVE AND JADED BY MODERN DATING: REPORTThe theater’s show champions the "chivalry" of their knights.
But some who work along those performers say the culture is biased against female cast members.A former "queen" of the castle is now suing the company, alleging a workplace environment "rooted in gender discrimination and sexual harassment."Another whistleblower alleged that she was fired for voicing concerns about animal cruelty.FORMER DISNEY CHANNEL STAR ALLEGES SHE WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED AT 14 AFTER BEING TOLD TO ‘BOND’ WITH EMPLOYEEA civil lawsuit was filed in June by a former cast member of the Buena Park, California, castle.She alleges a hostile work environment with widespread sexual harassment.Kaitlyn Farrell resigned in February 2024 because of "intolerable" conditions after joining the company as a "queen" five years earlier, according to the lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California, in Or...