@LobCheapek I wanted to take second to thank you. You and a few others seem to have a gift for following my actual points and understanding their importance (without twisting their meaning and getting sidetracked). You, in particular, seem to articulate what I am trying to say with a degree of skill that I’m a little in awe of. It’s helping my heart heal.
Again, thank you. I might actually be able to sleep tonight.
Wow. Thank you for taking the time to write such a kind post. You did not have to do that nor did I expect it, but I very much appreciate it Jeni Lynn.
I’m glad to know my ranting had a positive impact on you and is helping your heart mend. At the end of the day, I think I speak for all of us Tattlers that healing is what we all wish for you, Dustin, Sean, and any others Pete has harmed. Your story matters. Keep telling it!
I only learned about all of this last week. I binged 5 entire threads in one sitting I was so horrified. While I have no connections to anyone on The Dis, as someone who watched every weekly show and special series from 2013-2016, these revelations have been oddly personally upsetting. Sadly though, I’m not surprised by it at all.
I remember vividly when Dustin left. I was incredibly sorry to see him go. He was a huge reason I loved the show like I did in the early days of the YouTube show. Watching his final show live and Pete’s gushing send off… I agreed with every word Pete said. Now knowing everything that lead up to and after that moment, I’m not going to lie its rocked me a bit. I can’t imagine what was running through Dustin’s head while Pete spoke. It’s gut-wrenching with all the puzzle pieces assembled.
One moment that has stuck with me since it happened a decade ago was Pete’s victim-blaming outburst when the woman was sexually assaulted in Disney Springs outside House of Blues. That memory instantly popped up reading the first part of Dustin’s story and ironically he called it out in a later post. The only person at fault in a sexual assault is the attacker. Period, the end. I saw Pete in a different way after that and the rose-colored glasses were ripped off.
After that I started noticing things that felt off in shows, but couldn’t fully put my finger on why. His flamboyant rants were no longer charming to me, but unhinged and self-aggrandizing. Don’t even get me started on the “I have Josh D’Amaro on speed dial” drivel. Josh D’Amaro doesn’t care. Josh D’Amaro doesn’t give a shit. Josh D’Amaro probably regretted giving it to you almost immediately.
Towards the end of JL’s tenure I didn’t watch consistently, but it was obvious something was going on between you and Pete. He argued with you more harshly than others on the panel. You were clearly tense in later weekly episodes and weren’t as animated. That said, I always enjoyed what you brought to the channel. Especially once Dustin left, you kept the show elevated until your oddly quiet departure. As a viewer, that moment in Dis history seemed off. Turns out my insignificant feeling all those years ago had legs.
After you left, I didn’t watch much anymore. Pete continued to became more unbearable to listen to and the quality of the content wasn’t what I wanted anymore. The rise of the Disney Vloggers inside the parks appealed to me far more. In recent years I’d watch a show if a hot subject was ranted on by Pete just to see what he had to say. Starcruiser, Chapek’s firing, decline of the Parks as a whole, etc. Seeing the change in his appearance was incredibly telling that he had somehow become even more volatile. The ridiculously flashy pinky rings (that were clearly women’s cocktail rings) with the matching necklaces were bizarre. Then he’d open his mouth and seemed like he was competing with the Trackers for how many times he could say “concierge”.
Anyway, pardon my verbose post, but this has dominated my thoughts all week. I’m so happy to know after everything Dustin is happily married to a kickass wife and doing well; Sean has also found his soulmate and is doing better than ever in life; and JL escaped to accomplish more in her career with Disney in the span of a few years than Pete could ever dream of accomplishing over the course of 3 decades. Much love to each of you.
