Disappointed

[yorkieteacher]

I speaking specifically about the podcast listeners and people on the forums, not the employees.

Wait, what?! I’ve been a DISboards reader since 2014 and rarely read the podcast thread until now because I was either wanting or sharing information about the parks, hotels, dining, cruises and such. Pete Werner was not my reason for being here. I watched some Podcasts and thought he could be dismissive and condescending to some on that panel, but he also frequently defended them if their listeners were critical. I was certainly not trying to analyze PW or any of the others. I wasn’t watching it to see the panelists! I wanted their imo and was interested in their opinions of WDW subjects. Are you saying I should have suspected misuse of funds and SA? That we should have reported our opinions of people we didn’t know and thought we’re putting up a certain persona for the public That’s stretching it a bit!

 

[Marrila]

Wait, what?! I’ve been a DISboards reader since 2014 and rarely read the podcast thread until now because I was either wanting or sharing information about the parks, hotels, dining, cruises and such. Pete Werner was not my reason for being here. I watched some Podcasts and thought he could be dismissive and condescending to some on that panel, but he also frequently defended them if their listeners were critical. I was certainly not trying to analyze PW or any of the others. I wasn’t watching it to see the panelists! I wanted their imo and was interested in their opinions of WDW subjects. Are you saying I should have suspected misuse of funds and SA? That we should have reported our opinions of people we didn’t know and thought we’re putting up a certain persona for the public That’s stretching it a bit!

Well said.

 

[starstruck93]

Wait, what?! I’ve been a DISboards reader since 2014 and rarely read the podcast thread until now because I was either wanting or sharing information about the parks, hotels, dining, cruises and such. Pete Werner was not my reason for being here. I watched some Podcasts and thought he could be dismissive and condescending to some on that panel, but he also frequently defended them if their listeners were critical. I was certainly not trying to analyze PW or any of the others. I wasn’t watching it to see the panelists! I wanted their imo and was interested in their opinions of WDW subjects. Are you saying I should have suspected misuse of funds and SA? That we should have reported our opinions of people we didn’t know and thought we’re putting up a certain persona for the public That’s stretching it a bit!

Goodness, slow your roll.... I never said any of that. You're jumping to conclusions and putting words in my mouth. You need to go re-read my comment. I personally never would've expected any of these new allegations either but his toxic behavior has been pretty obvious to me since the beginning. You said you joined in 2014.... alot happened around 2009-2011 that was a good indication of issues.

 

[yorkieteacher]

Goodness, slow your roll.... I never said any of that. You're jumping to conclusions and putting words in my mouth. You need to go re-read my comment. I personally never would've expected any of these new allegations either but his toxic behavior has been pretty obvious to me since the beginning. You said you joined in 2014.... alot happened around 2009-2011 that was a good indication of issues.

You said you were surprised no one said anything and it made you think they were in toxic relationships themselves, and the added you meant we the readers and listeners and not the panel. Maybe reread these two posts of
Yours and you’ll see why I’m rollin’ and since you noticed things from 14 years ago, what was your response?

 

[starstruck93]

You said you were surprised no one said anything and it made you think they were in toxic relationships themselves, and the added you meant we the readers and listeners and not the panel. Maybe reread these two posts of
Yours and you’ll see why I’m rollin’

Are you OK? You clearly have reading comprehension issues. This is my quote below. Where are you seeing the words "surprised no one SAID anything??" I never said that.

I'm honestly surprised by the amount of people who failed to see the toxic behavior over the years. I've been in this community since 2009. Makes me think alot people are in toxic relationships themselves, thus making it feel more "normal" and possibly blind to the red flags.

 

[OKW Lover]

What happened with the event las night? Did it happen? was anything referenced?

The event went well last night. It seemed like everybody was having fun and members of the podcast were chatting with everybody.
"Was anything referenced?" No, but it wasn't a forum where that would happen. All it was is a bunch of people getting together and chatting followed by a couple of hours in a section of DCA.

 

[Lehuaann]

I'm honestly surprised by the amount of people who failed to see the toxic behavior over the years. I've been in this community since 2009. Makes me think alot people are in toxic relationships themselves, thus making it feel more "normal" and possibly blind to the red flags.

I speaking specifically about the podcast listeners and people on the forums, not the employees.

Goodness, slow your roll.... I never said any of that. You're jumping to conclusions and putting words in my mouth. You need to go re-read my comment. I personally never would've expected any of these new allegations either but his toxic behavior has been pretty obvious to me since the beginning. You said you joined in 2014.... alot happened around 2009-2011 that was a good indication of issues.

Pre-2010 Diser here. I understood your context when quoting NikkiBell

Also, not in a toxic relationship, but I think you and I KNOW why. We saw what happened to those who spoke out

 

[starstruck93]

Pre-2010 Diser here. I understood your context when quoting NikkiBell

Also, not in a toxic relationship, but I think you and I KNOW why. We saw what happened to those who spoke out

Thank you..... yes we do and 100% agree.

 

[Lesverts]

This is a lot to process as someone that has only recently come back into the forums. I have not watched the majority of the DisUnplugged content in about 6 years. So the various comings and goings since probably mid 2017 have gone completely by me. I stopped watching the Dis and another Youtube Disney vlogging channel because neither started to 'feel' right anymore. The departure of Dustin followed by the JL and Oliver thing just felt weird. Made the content less enjoyable. Also having so much milage will vary differences in what was being said and what I was experiencing in the park made things less enjoyable. Early days were great. I loved John and Kevin for being, what I thought, and still hope to think as very positive gay examples. Especially Kevin. I made a lot of positive trip decisions based off of those 2.

I watched the show primarily for Dustin early on. His smile, his story and his joy for the parks was fun to watch. It really makes me sad to think about everything that went on under the surface. And how much he struggled and put on a face to continue in his position and in the life he thought he wanted. I cannot say enough how brave I think he is for stepping forward and saying he is a male victim of sexual violence. It takes a lot to say that, and the struggle of being in a situation like that is not something many people can understanding. I will be honest and say that I did see one 'red flag' so to speak in my time watching the DIS. It was an episode where it was said that Pete and Dustin spent a late night together discussing the rumored plans for DHS. What was said, and how was just really weird to me when my read on the situation was one was an older gay male, the other being a younger straight male and their being a power dynamic in the relationship.

I sincerely hope John and Corey have been and will continue to be upfront and honest. And they genuinely want to continue what was created. I know it will be a difficult process to separate the 'art from the artist' so to speak for everyone involved. Sexual violence and workplace harassment are difficult topics. They are loaded with triggers for the many people that have been on the receiving end of such treatment. I hope everyone can be respectful of the Dreams and DIS team and the people that have come forward with their stories. Hard questions need to be asked. Hopefully with time people will find the answers and closure they need in this process.

 

[yorkieteacher]

Are you OK? You clearly have reading comprehension issues. This is my quote below. Where are you seeing the words "surprised no one SAID anything??" I never said that.

Sorry, failed to see - and I continue to say we weren’t in it to analyze Pete’s behavior, but to get info and opinions. We can think his public persona was to channel Lou Grant , as I said in a previous post, and later hear him defend his employees, and not be in toxic relationships ourselves and think it was normal. We thought it was part performance . I said previously I thought it was his schtick. If we had been in a position to see SA I feel confident we would have reported it. Your generalization of many of us likely being in toxic relationships was offensive

 

[trompettecon]

100%? I’m not one to blindly believe allegations without some larger form of proof.

What kind of proof? You wanted to see with your own eyes? You want a pair of Jeans with DNA? JFC... Does it take more than 20 people for you to believe like in the Bill Cosby case? And even then? Read the reports and the emails. That's enough.

 

[MickeyCrazed]

Pete said on his solo show that he was going to rehab because he was spending too much. I think some images on the other site showed bills back to February with warnings from Amex. I could be misremembering, or they could have been doctored.

If you’re referring to the American Express bill for $866,000, the image was not doctored. It is attached to the case/complaint, and is available to view on via the Orange County Clerk Court Records Search.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

My Apple podcasts go back to 7/25/06. I would think they will be taken down soon, which means that the podcasts with Bob Varley will be gone.

Mixed feelings on this but kind of hope they stay up. I don't really want to see Pete when I click on a video or open a podcast but the other members of the team put so much effort into that content that it would be a shame to see them disappear.

Lose/lose scenario unfortunately.

 

[Googelibear]

Welllllll, if you look at Kevin's expensive taste, you start to wonder a little bit. These guys seem to have come from rather simple circumstances to be so interested in expensive brands and gaudy jewelry/fashion/manicures

 

[take36]

Welllllll, if you look at Kevin's expensive taste, you start to wonder a little bit. These guys seem to have come from rather simple circumstances to be so interested in expensive brands and gaudy jewelry/fashion/manicures

Successful people are interested and can afford expensive stuff is not a surprise. They also have the luxury of being able to write off expenses from their travels which allows them to afford even more stuff. Call it business acumen, talent, or even luck (or all three) they got to where they are and are enjoying the fruits. 1 million in cc debt in a combination of luxury travel and business expenses (I'm not an expert, how much does it cost to run a travel agency) is not that crazy, especially for high revenue (and high spending) company like DUT (one of the top sellers of Disney vacations). What it was spent on is obviously what is amiss and under contention.

 

[sayhello]

I'm curious how many fans here have met Pete or hung out with him? What was your reaction to all of this news after meeting him, not just watching him on a podcast?

We did spend a week with him on our ABD trip in 2011. He was so joyful and kind and really in the Disney spirit. But I know now, it was all an act.

My first thought was disbelief. Until I started reading more. And then my thought was my kid and was really angry that I let him hang around her. And then I thought of Teresa, Kathy & Tracey who were on our trip and just felt sadness. And then I sent a few texts to others. Now I'm just disgusted and want to do whatever I can to help.

Well, I was on one of the first DIS exclusive ABDs with PW, John and Kevin, spending well over a week with them in London/Paris/Disneyland Paris. Pete spent a LOT of the trip complaining about things, like the fact that "First Class" on the Eurostar train to Paris was not what he imagined First Class would be, and was therefore misrepresented to him/false advertising. ABD spent a lot of the trip trying to appease him, like giving him upgraded rooms, etc. He was also not very nice to Walter, who I found very sweet, and I honestly thought Pete didn't deserve him. (I was sad when Walter disappeared from the Podcast seemingly without a word. D'oh!) I mostly listened to the podcast, and didn't watch it, as I would listen while taking walks at work. On the occasions that I did watch it, I found that I really disliked how Pete seemed to drool over the young men he brought in to work for him and it creeped me out, along with the fact that he was spending the night in hotel rooms with these guys. Not that I ever suspected just how bad it had gotten, I just thought it was inappropriate. At that point I decided I was done with the podcast. I'd really been "done" with it for a while, but that did me in. I saw him at a couple of DIS events (at WDW and a Podcast cruise) but didn't spend any time with him.

Then Pete summarily took away my Modship of the ABD Forum due to a ridiculous, trumped up accusation that someone had "tattled" on me with. Pete did not ask me for my side of the story or anything, but just took the Modship away and sent me an EXTREMELY nasty, long, accusatory PM telling me why he'd done it. I was so flabbergasted and upset, I really had nothing to say, so I didn't reply. So he sent me the same nasty message on Facebook, because he wanted to be sure I'd seen it. I told him he'd convicted me without a trial, and I had no desire to defend myself to him, and his only reply was "OK", and that's the last I saw or spoke to him. (And happily so). The hardest part was that I couldn't say anything about it on the ABD Forum, because I was afraid I'd be banned from the Boards, and lose out posting to the ABD Forum altogether. As it was, any questions posted about it were deleted. It was pretty disheartening.

So did I think he was sexually assaulting his employees? No. Did I think he was fostering a toxic workplace? Yes. So I stopped watching/listening. Was I surprised when all this came out? No. Shocked, yes, but surprised? No.

Honestly, not very surprised. I attended this man’s wedding and have been in his home a few times. I was on an ABD with him. I spent time with him both in and out of the parks for meetings and events. We’ve gone to dinner several times in FL, CA, PA, and NJ. As crushing as this entire situation is, I’m just not very surprised. I never in my life would have expected SA, but as I’ve sat here for weeks analyzing our interactions and what I’ve observed of those he’s had with others, there were so many red flags. It’s heartbreaking.

Yep. A ton of red flags. And it *is* heartbreaking.

This whole situation is so sad. As a psychiatrist that specializes in gay mental health this hits hard. There are so many pieces to unravel and review. I watched Dustin’s video and he seems to be doing quite well, but he has been through a lot and may be putting on a great outside shell. Having this all come to the limelight right now brings back a flood of emotions that may trigger more depression and anxiety.

I just hope everyone involved gets the help they want and need. Mental health treatment is not always available and it sure sounds like many people may benefit who are involved in this situation.

Dustin *did* say he'd re-started therapy for all this just recently, and that he had a *LOT* to unpack with her. He expressed some serious sympathy for his therapist!

Sayhello

 

[disneyworldsk]

Eric Gross, he went on a date with Pete W.

Thank you. He seemed like a very nice man and I felt bad he was treated the way he said he was at the time a few years back.

 

[starstruck93]

Well, I was on one of the first DIS exclusive ABDs with PW, John and Kevin, spending well over a week with them in London/Paris/Disneyland Paris. Pete spent a LOT of the trip complaining about things, like the fact that "First Class" on the Eurostar train to Paris was not what he imagined First Class would be, and was therefore misrepresented to him/false advertising. ABD spent a lot of the trip trying to appease him, like giving him upgraded rooms, etc. He was also not very nice to Walter, who I found very sweet, and I honestly thought Pete didn't deserve him. (I was sad when Walter disappeared from the Podcast seemingly without a word. D'oh!) I mostly listened to the podcast, and didn't watch it, as I would listen while taking walks at work. On the occasions that I did watch it, I found that I really disliked how Pete seemed to drool over the young men he brought in to work for him and it creeped me out, along with the fact that he was spending the night in hotel rooms with these guys. Not that I ever suspected just how bad it had gotten, I just thought it was inappropriate. At that point I decided I was done with the podcast. I'd really been "done" with it for a while, but that did me in. I saw him at a couple of DIS events (at WDW and a Podcast cruise) but didn't spend any time with him.

Then Pete summarily took away my Modship of the ABD Forum due to a ridiculous, trumped up accusation that someone had "tattled" on me with. Pete did not ask me for my side of the story or anything, but just took the Modship away and sent me an EXTREMELY nasty, long, accusatory PM telling me why he'd done it. I was so flabbergasted and upset, I really had nothing to say, so I didn't reply. So he sent me the same nasty message on Facebook, because he wanted to be sure I'd seen it. I told him he'd convicted me without a trial, and I had no desire to defend myself to him, and his only reply was "OK", and that's the last I saw or spoke to him. (And happily so). The hardest part was that I couldn't say anything about it on the ABD Forum, because I was afraid I'd be banned from the Boards, and lose out posting to the ABD Forum altogether. As it was, any questions posted about it were deleted. It was pretty disheartening.

So did I think he was sexually assaulting his employees? No. Did I think he was fostering a toxic workplace? Yes. So I stopped watching/listening. Was I surprised when all this came out? No. Shocked, yes, but surprised? No.


Yep. A ton of red flags. And it *is* heartbreaking.

Dustin *did* say he'd started therapy for all this just recently, and that he had a *LOT* to unpack with her. He expressed some serious sympathy for his therapist!

Sayhello

Thank you for this.... my thoughts exactly.

 

[soniam]

If you’re referring to the American Express bill for $866,000, the image was not doctored. It is attached to the case/complaint, and is available to view on via the Orange County Clerk Court Records Search.

Was it showing past due back to February? I thought I remember it being way back, maybe right before he went to rehab or about the same time.

 

[chris abercrombie]

100%? I’m not one to blindly believe allegations without some larger form of proof.

@Phillie_Boy, I respect your opinion. I would like to defend Dustin, Sean, Charles and all the other people that has been traumatized by PW. Sexual harassment, sexual and or verbal assault and rape are already situations that are very difficult to come forward and speak up about. Sometimes it’s hard to find witnesses or provide “larger forms of proof”. Abusers have a pattern of behavior. Since PW is in the public eye, people have seen online and in person his behaviors. As a rape survivor, I had to deal with the campus police, other authorities, teachers and “friends” that needed “larger forms of proof” before they would believe me. So I know what that feeling is like first hand.
The best thing that we as a Disney loving community/family can do for Dustin, Sean, Charles and everyone else that have been traumatized by PW is create a safe place where they can tell their stories. And @Dustin, @Sean, @charles and everyone else that have been traumatized by PW, you don’t need to “provide a larger form of proof”. You do what is best for you and just know that you have people from all over the World that are here to support you.