Ex-Disney Cast Member Accused of Sexual Assault Found Working at Popular Universal Event

It is estimated that The Walt Disney Company employs nearly 300,000 people, between all the theme parks, the studios, Marvel, Lucasfilm, etc. Disney does its best to vet each and every person they hire. They do that by running background checks and making sure the person is a safe individual to have around guests and children. While Disney tries to do its best, sometimes people slip through the cracks, and it’s up to guests to call attention to it.

Related: Cast Member Targeted by “Disney Karen” Speaks Out After Being Fired

That happened last summer when a guest photographed Joseph Meehan working on The Jungle Cruise attraction at Disneyland Park. Meehan may be best known by the name Joey Ryan. It was the name that he used while he was a professional wrestler.

Joey Ryan who in June 2020, was accused by several women of sexual misconduct during the #SpeakingOut movement, causing him to be released from Impact Wrestling is now working as a cast member on the Jungle Cruise ride at @Disneyland.

Have a magical day!

Joey Ryan who in June 2020, was accused by several women of sexual misconduct during the #SpeakingOut movement, causing him to be released from Impact Wrestling is now working as a cast member on the Jungle Cruise ride at @Disneyland.

Have a magical day! pic.twitter.com/vanER5lius

— The Ringside Roster- Wrestling News & Rumors (@RingsideRoster) June 26, 2022

The photo immediately went viral because Meehan had been accused by 17 women of sexual assault and harassment. Disney was quick to nip the situation in the bud and told The Los Angeles Times that Meehan was no longer employed by the company. He had reportedly only been in his probationary period when the photo of him was snapped. That meant that Disney could fire him for whatever reason they wanted to.

Related: Disney Legend Lives Out Jungle Cruise Fantasy

Many people would think that with the photo and story going viral, it would be easy to find the disturbing allegations that have been levied against Meehan. However, it doesn’t look like it made it to the hiring folks at Universal.

X (formerly Twitter) user Tim Ballad recently attended Universal’s popular event, Halloween Horror Nights. He was shocked when he saw Meehan working at an attraction during the terrifying event.

Horror nights be hiring anyone

Horror nights be hiring anyone pic.twitter.com/fnQf8HzWVD

— Tim Ballard (@Tim_D_Ballard) September 16, 2023

The accusations against Meehan were made a couple of years before he gained employment at Disney. Not long after the women spoke out, Meehan released a lengthy statement, admitting that he had not always respected people. He did not admit to any of the allegations.

“Today, I must take responsibility for the way I behaved in the past, and I will do that right now.

I came into contact with a lot of people, including women. And, the truth is, I did not always treat people with respect. And I will acknowledge that it was possible that I pursued people that I thought were interested in me and invaded their personal space and made them feel uncomfortable in the process.”

When Disney officials spoke to The LA Times back in July 2022, they said that they had indeed run a background check on Meehan when he applied to work at The Happiest Place on Earth. They said that the background check did not show anything that would prevent his employment. So, it is possible that the same thing happened when Universal ran their background check — assuming they ran one.

Related: Universal Ups the Ante! Announces New Land in Orlando Theme Park

It is also very possible that Meehan is only working at Universal Studios Hollywood for the Halloween season. Universal hires a lot of extra team members during this time just to work at Halloween Horror Nights.

During the nighttime event, villains and scary characters walk around the park freely. They get close to guests, trying to get a rise out of them and give them nightmares to last a lifetime. The event also has creepy mazes full of scare actors. So, Meehan could simply be one of the dozens of team members who will no longer be with Universal when Halloween is over.