Former Medieval Times employees say the iconic dinner-theater chain fostered a frat-like “knights will be knights” culture marked by alleged sexual harassment and horse mistreatment, according to a bombshell report.
Medieval Times operates 10 “castles” across North America and welcomes about 2.5 million guests each year. The company became embroiled in a bitter labor dispute after workers raised concerns about what they described as troubling workplace conditions, Vanity Fair reported.
Employees at several locations, including the Lyndhurst, New Jersey, castle, described a locker-room environment reminiscent of a fraternity. New hires were allegedly subjected to hazing, the outlet reported.
“There’s like a whole pseudo-fraternity thing going on,” said Purnell Thompson, who worked for years in the stables at the New Jersey location.
Sean Quigley, a former lord chancellor at Lyndhurst who shared a locker room with the all-male knight staff, alleged that performers “would pull down their pants and wait for someone to come around the corner.”
Quigley said the behavior reflected a broader “knights will be knights” mentality.
At the Scottsdale, Arizona, castle, a former employee told Vanity Fair he was forced to run through sand until he vomited during his first two weeks on the job.
Former workers said the macho atmosphere extended beyond the men’s locker room, with female employees alleging persistent sexual harassment throughout the castle.
Lexi-Lynn Taylor, a former queen at the Buena Park, California, location, said several knights harassed and touched her inappropriately. She alleged that one performer “wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Workers also described the castle as a setting for casual relationships and frequent romantic entanglements that sometimes became contentious.
“Everybody dated everybody,” said Kate Farrell, a former queen. “Things can get messy.”
Taylor said she was slut-shamed after kissing a colleague at a Christmas party and was called a “knight’s mattress” and “ye old whore.”
Farrell, who sued Medieval Times this year over allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation and gender discrimination, said another knight “pushed me up against my car and pressed his hand on my crotch.”
In one alleged incident, after a female employee reported harassment, a manager asked a subordinate to remove stitching from her costume in an effort to create “wardrobe malfunctions in front of live audiences.”
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A former Scottsdale employee said he corroborated a female colleague’s harassment complaint in 2020. Rather than discipline the accused worker, however, Medieval Times allegedly transferred him to another department and increased his pay.
“On multiple occasions, I watched instances of poor behavior almost be rewarded,” the former employee said.
Former workers also alleged that conditions in the horse stables were deeply troubling, claiming trainers mistreated the animals.
“I loved my job. But I couldn’t stand by while they mistreated us and the animals,” said Erin Zapcic, a former queen at the Buena Park castle.
Sidney Setzer, a former stable hand, alleged that “the horses would come back with visible raised welts on their hindquarters from whipping.” She said she eventually quit because of the physical exhaustion.
Another former cast member, Bethany Regan, alleged in a 2019 lawsuit that a trainer whipped horses unnecessarily, causing injuries and contributing directly to the death of one animal. The case was settled out of court in 2020, according to Vanity Fair.
Tensions spilled over in 2022 as the workers at Buena Park and Lyndhurst both organized unions over poor wages and toxic workplace conditions — before joining the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA).
The Buena Park Medieval Times employees went on strike in February 2023, launching a nine-month standoff — while the company flew in performers from other castles to replace the on-strike staff.
“Every single day for nine months, thousands of people crossed our picket line and called us a**holes in the name of a two-hour show,” said Zapcic.
Employees eventually returned in November 2023, though some claimed they faced hostility and had their roles changed.
“The amount we were relentlessly harassed and retaliated against by our coworkers was awful,” Zapcic said.
The Buena Park union never secured a contract, and the AGVA reportedly stepped away from the effort in 2024.
The following year, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled that Medieval Times had violated federal labor law in its efforts to defeat the union campaign. The company has since appealed the ruling.
Medieval Times did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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