Disney specializes in creating manufactured magic at its theme parks, but everyone knows that the real magic comes from the cast members.
Ever since Disneyland Park opened in 1955, its employees and their proclivity for creating magical moments have set Disney parks apart from their competitors. That’s what makes it even more offensive when guests – especially celebrity guests – take advantage of their kindness and go out of their way to be rude or openly break the rules during a Disney day.
Over the years, Inside the Magic has reported on several not-so-magical celebrity encounters at Disney’s theme parks. Here are seven of the most shocking tales we’ve heard.
JoJo Siwa
One of the most infamous “celebrities behaving badly” stories at Disney World in recent memory comes courtesy of Dance Moms alum JoJo Siwa. The dancer, singer, and actress, who previously compared herself to incoming Disney Legend Miley Cyrus as she attempts to shake off her child star image, was pictured and filmed acting extremely drunk in EPCOT on her 21st birthday.
The footage shows Siwa – who’s a Disney World regular – trying (and failing) to get nearby guests to sing her track, “Karma.” Clearly intoxicated, Siwa then stumbles alongside her Disney VIP Tour Guide with the rest of her party. “Who is that?” one onlooker is heard saying in the video before another responds, “It’s JoJo Siwa, and she’s drunk off her ass.”
We’ll give her credit; Siwa wasn’t exactly being rude in the footage (and some have questioned whether she was, in fact, pretending to be drunk for some reason). However, there’s no question that this kind of behavior definitely makes life more difficult for the Disney cast members who are just trying to get celebrities from place to place.
Leonardo DiCaprio
This story is pretty dated, so take it with a grain of salt.
Back in 2016, an alleged former Disney cast member shared a story on Reddit about an incident that supposedly took place at Walt Disney World Resort in the late 1990s.
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The cast member – who claimed to have worked as a lifeguard at Disney’s Beach Club Resort – recalled a time when actor Leonardo DiCaprio apparently “pissed down the waterslide.”
This requires a little backstory. I’m dating myself here, but does anyone remember the “Wanna Be A VJ” MTV contest from back in the day? The first one, where Dave Holmes LOST to Jesse Camp? (but ended up getting a gig anyway).Well, don’t ask me how, but Leo and Jesse became buds, and they ended up coming to the pool on a bender.
Reeked of alcohol, huge entourage, jumped in with their clothes on, went down the slide with their spiked belts (scratching it up) and then Leo whipped it out and pissed into the top of the slide, then went down the slide. They refused to listen to anyone and Security finally came and escorted them off, cursing.
Fresh off stints in Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Titanic (1997), DiCaprio was part of a relatively rowdy friendship group in the 1990s known in the press as “the Pu**y Posse,” so this story wouldn’t be the most shocking thing in the world. However, considering the source of this one is akin to a “trust me, bro,” we’d call this one an urban legend to be safe.
Rebel Wilson
As far as a celebrity breaking Disney protocol goes, Rebel Wilson’s “crime” is extremely minor. At the same time, it’s a violation so obvious to major Disney fans (a moniker Wilson has given herself many times) that it’s surprising Wilson fell foul of it at all.
In 2023, the actress appeared on The Daily Show with Hasan Minhaj, where she revealed that she was banned from Disneyland Resort for a month after committing a major faux pas.
“I did get banned from Disneyland for 30 days because I took a photo inside a secret bathroom, which is illegal, at Disneyland,” Wilson explained. “I got officially banned.”
Before you start panicking about your stockpile of bathroom selfies from your most recent Disney park trip, don’t worry – this was, quite literally, a secret bathroom.
Wilson was in Club 33 at the time, Disneyland’s private dining club. Located above the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, next to Walt Disney’s former apartment, this is only accessible to those who’ve been invited and paid around $35,000 for their initiation, plus $15,000 in annual fees. Pictures are strictly prohibited in Club 33 – hence Wilson’s punishment for taking a sneaky selfie.
Luckily for Wilson, The Walt Disney Company was pretty light-hearted about said punishment. “They called me up, and they said: ‘Rebel, what 30 days do you not want to come to Disneyland because you’re away filming a movie or something?’” she said. “And I was like: ‘Oh, June is fine.’”
Tori Kelly
In 2021, ex-cast member Sarah Alrifai went viral on TikTok for rating her experiences with different celebrities while working at Walt Disney World Resort. At the very bottom of her list was former American Idol contestant and singer-songwriter Tori Kelly.
“Now she was the definition of a diva,” Alrifai explained. Kelly, who was slated to perform during a holiday special filmed at Disney World, allegedly wanted to wear her sunglasses during the performance. Despite being told they didn’t fit the theme, she “threw a tantrum” and “insisted” on wearing them (which, as per YouTube videos of her 2015 performance, she was successful in doing).
According to Alrifai, Kelly also couldn’t decide whether or not she wanted a stool on stage. “She was driving everybody nuts trying to keep up with her,” Alrifai said. “And she was ignoring everybody who was trying to talk to her. Like fans saying ‘I love you’ or ‘hi,’ she just wasn’t saying anything back to them.” Now, that’s not the Disney spirit.
Christina Aguilera
The “Voice of a Generation” got her start on the Disney Channel alongside Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, courtesy of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean she’s necessarily in top form at Disney all the time.
In 2014, the former Mouseketeer was at Disney California Adventure, celebrating her 34th birthday, when she met (or tried to meet) Mickey Mouse. As the character was off duty, he apparently declined, causing Aguilera to lash out.
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“Aguilera lost it and called Mickey an ‘a**hole,’” claimed TMZ. “We’re told she even dropped the dreaded, ‘Do you know who I am?’”
It went on to claim that “Xtina’s crew started hurling threats” and “Mickey had to be ushered to a safe zone — out of public view.” While security was called, Aguilera had apparently already left the Disney park by the time they arrived.
Mariah Carey
Tori Kelly isn’t the only celeb to receive the TikTok treatment from a former Disney cast member. Nicole Smith, who worked at Disneyland Resort, shared her own experiences with everyone from Will Ferrell (who was apparently “very nice”) to Mark Wahlberg (who was both “handsome” and “a very nice man”).
One celebrity who didn’t impress Smith was the Christmas queen herself, Mariah Carey. The singer is a regular parkgoer and has been spotted at Disney theme parks multiple times over the years. However, she and her former partner Nick Cannon, whom Smith met separately, were reportedly both difficult guests.
“These people are awful,” she said. “I had to deal with both of them separately. She is an absolute diva, and he is an absolute diva. I hope that no cast member has to deal with these monsters ever again.”
Carey has long held a “diva” reputation. While she declined to divulge any specific details about her encounter with Carey, Smith did add: “She’s a diva, we all know it… I heard it from many cast members. It’s not just me. She’s just rude. She’s not very friendly. And I love her, and I was really sad about that.”
Ariana Grande
Another singer with a diva-ish reputation. Multiple Disney cast members have accused Ariana Grande of being a difficult theme park guest. According to @teresa_jack on TikTok, VIP Tour Guides hate actress and singer Ariana Grande “more than anyone.”
While Grande was being attacked for dating her Wicked (2024) co-star Ethan Slater before their respective divorces were finalized, the TikToker claimed that “you and I, or anyone else, will never dislike her as much as the Disney Guest Relations cast members.”
She went on to explain that while most celebrities cut lines at Disney parks with their VIP Tour Guides (who will also do the same for VIP non-celebrity guests), the majority don’t expect rides to be closed for their benefit – or to be seated separately from other guests.
Grande, however, allegedly forced Disney’s cast members to close rides for hours so she could ride it alone. “Oh, no, no, no. Ariana Grande doesn’t just cut lines, okay? She shuts them down,” the TikToker said. “Ariana Grande comes out here and says, ‘No, the whole Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster? Shut the whole thing down, okay?’”
She added, “It’ll be shut down for hours because you have to shut down the line. If people are in the line, kick them out. That’s a three-hour process… That is not normal celebrity behavior.”
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Other cast members chimed in with similar experiences, with one claiming that Grande would not acknowledge the audience while filming the 2015 Christmas special at Magic Kingdom Park and another that she was rude to Expedition Everest cast members.
Have you ever witnessed a celebrity guest behaving badly at a Disney park? Let us know in the comments!
Please note that the stories outlined in this article are based on alleged personal Disney park guests and cast member experiences. No two experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.
The post “That Is Not Normal Celebrity Behavior,” 7 Famous Guests Cause Upset at Disney Parks appeared first on Inside the Magic.
