A teenager stirred debate online after filming himself being removed from a Disneyland Resort attraction during a Grad Nite event. The guest’s video, which he posted on TikTok, quickly gained attention and sparked a wave of responses, mostly defending the Disney cast members involved.
Grad Nite is a long-standing tradition at Disney California Adventure Park, taking place on several nights throughout May and June. It offers graduating high school seniors exclusive after-hours access, with options ranging from late-night entry only to full-day access to Disney California Adventure or park hopping between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure before the official event starts. This influx of teenagers during the day often causes mixed reactions among Disney Park guests.
On May 15, Estevan (@estevann.r on TikTok) shared a video showing his interaction with five Disney cast members as they explained why he was being removed from Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land. The TikTok features Estevan quoting a line from the reality show Dance Moms while cast members calmly handle the situation. He captioned the video: “POV: u get kicked out of cars,” later referring to the cast members as “Karens.”
@estevann.r POV: u get kicked out of cars #disneyland #grad #senioryear #california #classof25 #karens
The video quickly went viral, amassing over 138,000 views and sparking heated discussions. Most Disney Parks fans defended the cast members, highlighting that removal from rides is never taken lightly.
“Nah, I’m on the cm side,” @brxkenn_lilydol wrote. “They don’t do that for no reason…Disney is too expensive to be acting this way. Great job 👏 on the cms for keeping their cool.”
“If they kicked u out it was for a reason,” @guadalupemonse_ agreed. “They don’t just kick anyone out for nothing.”
However, not everyone sided with the Disney cast members. Some commenters pointed out negative experiences during Grad Nite events and criticized how some Disneyland Resort employees treat the visiting teens.
“No cause my grad nite this one employee was SO rude to me,” said @coolthuggirl30. “I get they deal with teens all day and that can be hard but genuinely you can be nice to someone who didn’t do anything to you.”
Others took the opportunity to call for Disneyland Resort to reconsider the Grad Nite events altogether.
“Grad students always wanna start something,” @jcrkiller wrote. “They are always in the wrong. Cast members are always right.”
“I always pray for the CM’s that have to deal with gradnite,” @_dodgers5 replied.
Despite the controversy, Estevan did not clarify the exact reason for his removal from Radiator Springs Racers. He did, however, share videos from other attractions at Disney California Adventure Park, indicating he was only removed from that specific ride, not banned from the entire park.
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Hope that I never have to see anyone from my perspective whether I’m at Disneyland or DW. As for my autism & epilepsy, I wouldn’t want it to get out of control no matter which ride I take or show to see.