*Warning: This article contains allegations of sexual assault
Five years ago, #MeToo began to trend on social media. It had first been used in 2006 by Tarana Burke as she shared her story about being sexually assaulted. Then, in 2017, actress Alyssa Milano put the phrase back into the spotlight, as a way for those who had been victimized to come together. The movement took off like wildfire, and soon a number of Hollywood bigwigs — most notably Harvey Weinstein — found themselves in front of the camera, being called out for their abhorrent behavior.
Now, it sadly appears that the #MeToo movement has made its way into the Disney fandom. On August 2, disturbing news started flooding the Disney discussion board and social media. A message was sent out by John Magi — the co-owner and President of the popular travel agency, Dreams Unlimited Travel, Inc. The message said that Pete Werner, the CEO of the travel agency, would be resigning, effective immediately.
Effective immediately, Peter Werner has resigned his position as CEO of Dreams Unlimited Travel, Inc. and as Owner/Editor-in-Chief of The DIS (as well as all related websites and properties). John Magi, President and Co-Owner of Dreams Unlimited Travel, will continue to run the day-to-day operations of Dreams Unlimited Travel, Inc. and assume the CEO responsibilities as well.
Corey Martin, the President of The DIS, will maintain his role with both The DIS and its affiliated sites while taking on executive responsibilities. Mr. Werner’s ownership interest in the above businesses is currently being divested. If you have any questions about Dreams Unlimited Inc, please contact John Magi at John@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com. For questions about The DIS, please contact Corey Martin at Corey@disneyinfo.com.
Then, the floodgates opened. According to multiple sources, Werner had been forced to resign because of alarming allegations of sexual assault being made. Multiple people who worked with Werner said that he drugged and sexually assaulted numerous men who worked under him. It was also alleged that Werner would buy those men incredibly expensive gifts and then threaten them if they wanted to end things. He was also accused of having hidden cameras that he kept in his bathrooms to record people.
Allegations Against Pete Werner
Werner’s sudden resignation came after former employee Dustin West shared his story on the platform Tattle. West claimed that, while he worked for Werner, Werner coerced him into a relationship and sexually abused him. His story quickly started going viral, and others shared their experience working for Werner, including Tyler Crouch, who called Werner an “abusive boss.”
I’m going to come clean. I worked for The DIS for almost 2 years. What follows is all alleged. It was a shit show. Pete Werner was an abusive boss. He constantly judged you for your work. Demanded you work over 40 hours a week. And pitted co-workers against one another.
I spoke my mind and was chastised from the company for it. And it’s not just Pete. He has followers that do his bidding. When I expressed my opinion, I was thrown under the bus by my coworkers. The Dis is a disgusting place in my opinion. They all hate each other.
Pete will blind with gifts in the beginning as all abusers do. He then denigrates you for any small mistake you make. In my opinion I’ve never met a more sour human being than him.
Pete has done his own damage. But what I think is almost more damming is that all his subordinates let him get away with it. Some of my coworkers choose money over what was right. And they’ve disregarded and hurt multiple people because of it. Pete fostered a culture of hatred, and it trickled down.
Just remember: everything you’ve heard about Pete Werner is probably true. And his subordinates knew it was happening and worked to hide it for monetary value. The only reason I was afraid to say anything was legal action. But everything I’m saying is alleged and an opinion.
It’s been hard to keep my mouth shut because of legal repercussions. But there comes a time where people are being hurt and you need to state your opinion.
Sean Faulk also detailed what Pete did to him while the two of them were together. Sean said that Pete bought him an incredibly expensive Disney Vacation Club membership. He put the membership in Sean’s name and threatened to stop paying for it when Sean tried to break things off. That would have left Sean responsible for paying the large balance.
Sean also said that Pete bought his father a car, so he would be able to drive himself to and from cancer treatments. Werner held the car over Sean’s head, threatening to stop payments, which could have led to the car being repossessed. Furthermore, Sean helped Werner pay down his credit card balances, to keep the creditors away.
One night, Werner reportedly got drunk and tried to sexually assault Faulk, who retreated to the bathroom. Werner later proposed to Faulk, but Faulk turned him down. Werner was also accused of trying to fire another DIS employee when Faulk commented that the employee’s accent was cute.
In addition to owning Dreams Unlimited Travel, Werner, along with Magi, co-owned the prominent Disney website The DIS, which discusses anything and everything Disney. They also had a hit Disney discussion forum and a vlog. Those sites are now being flooded with people expressing their disgust at the allegations being made, and supporting those who finally felt safe enough to speak their truth.
Did The DIS Employees Know?
While the distressing news about Pete Werner was coming out, another former employee said that people should not assume that everyone at the company knew. It was said that DIS employees let Werner get away with sexually assaulting men who worked for him. However, Corey Fiascanaro — known to DIS fans as Fiasco — said that he did not know, and it shouldn’t be assumed that others did.
Hey all. Obviously I’m me. I’ve been reading up on all the allegations that’s been coming out and it’s made me sick for a number of reasons. I’m still running through the events I personally experienced and trying to make sense of them in the context of everything that’s come out. I applaud people’s bravery and courage for sharing such personal aspects of their life in the hope that others don’t suffer the same. These people will always have an ear to vent to in me if they ever need it and I hope I’d have one too.
With that being said, you shouldn’t be assuming people on the team knew what happened and bashing them. Everyone is and was dealing with stuff of their own and it’s up to them to share that as they are ready too. For all you know other people have their own traumatic experiences and you are just assuming something else based on video from a show where people talk about theme parks. You really have no idea what people have been through except what information they have voluntarily provided. Just because someone works in a field that puts them in the public eye, doesn’t mean that they are not people who could be going through their own traumas, pressures, fears, etc.
Be kind to eachother, do right by one another, and support people who have been hurt.
It Wasn’t Just Sexual Assault, It Was Massive Debts and Lawsuits
As more and more news came out publicly, it was also revealed that Werner left his business in major debt. Sources stated that Werner took out a credit card in the company’s name and racked up more than $800,000. Werner’s poor spending habits caused the company to be late in paying its employees, and The DIS is currently being sued by American Express to recoup the money that was charged. Werner also reportedly owes Amex nearly $100,000 in charges from his personal credit card.
