Medieval Times may evoke images of old-world chivalry, but former employees say the restaurant chain has been plagued by allegations of sexual harassment, animal mistreatment and homophobia, according to a new investigative report by Vanity Fair.
Roughly 2.5 million people visit the company’s 10 “castles” across North America each year to watch costumed knights on horseback compete for the queen’s favor in an elaborate live performance.
However, the Vanity Fair report describes a troubling workplace culture behind the family-oriented shows.
Former employee Sean Quigley characterized the atmosphere as a crude “knights will be knights” environment, while other former workers detailed alleged sexual harassment, animal abuse and homophobia.
“I loved my job,” former show queen Erin Zapcic told the outlet. “But I couldn’t stand by while they mistreated us and the animals.”
Medieval Times has not publicly responded to the report and did not immediately answer Oxygen’s request for comment.
Medieval Times Workers Describe Serious On-the-Job Injuries
Medieval Times opened its first U.S. location in 1983 and typically attracts actors, athletes and Renaissance enthusiasts eager to bring childhood fantasies to life before a live audience.
Former knight Jake Bowman, who once operated knight-themed Instagram and TikTok accounts for the chain’s devoted fan base, said, “Everything is really romanticized at the castle.”
He told Vanity Fair that his “fairy tale popped” after a horse kicked him in the back while he was working at the Dallas castle. His mental health deteriorated in the months afterward, eventually forcing him to leave the job for several years.
Another former cast member, William Hainsworth, suffered a shattered leg when his horse crashed into a wall during a performance. He underwent several surgeries as a result.
Hainsworth sued the company in November 2024, alleging that he was wrongfully fired in 2023 after reporting safety concerns to senior management and backing a short-lived union effort focused on improving conditions for workers and animals.
“I regret nothing,” he told The Los Angeles Times in 2024. “There’s a lot of shady stuff going on there.”
Medieval Times rejected Hainsworth’s claims in court documents, saying he was dismissed for “legitimate, non-retaliatory reasons,” according to Vanity Fair. The dispute is currently in arbitration.
Former Employees Allege Sexual Harassment at Medieval Times
Former New Jersey stable worker Purnell Thompson described the workplace as resembling a “whole pseudo-fraternity thing,” including hazing of new employees.
Angel Diamante, identified as the only openly gay knight at the Buena Park, California, castle, said the locker room was marked by “unbelievable misogyny and homophobia,” according to Vanity Fair.
Sean Quigley, a former lord chancellor at the Lyndhurst, New Jersey, location, made similar allegations. He claimed the all-male knights “would pull their pants and wait for someone to come around the corner,” the outlet reported.
Quigley also alleged that after supporting a female employee’s sexual-harassment complaint, the accused worker was transferred to a higher-paying department and faced no discipline.
Other former employees described additional harassment. Lexie-Lynn Taylor, a former queen at the Buena Park castle, told Vanity Fair that one knight repeatedly pursued her and “wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
After she kissed a coworker at a holiday party, Taylor said the knights began calling her “ye old whore” and a “knight’s mattress.”
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Former queen Kate Farrell said a knight once forced her against her car and “pressed his hand on my crotch.”
Medieval Times Faces Allegations of Animal Abuse
Former employees also accused the company of mistreating the horses used in its performances.
In 2019, former worker Bethany Regan sued Medieval Times, alleging she was wrongfully fired after protesting gender discrimination, harassment and animal abuse, according to OC Weekly.
According to the lawsuit, horses were allegedly whipped “unnecessarily and to the point where one of the horses had large welts over its body.” The filing also claimed that some animals bled from the mouth, became dehydrated or suffered exhaustion.
Court records stated that the alleged mistreatment contributed to the death of at least one horse.
Regan said she was fired in 2018 despite previously being named Employee of the Month. She alleged that the company attributed her termination to the spread of false rumors, which she denied, according to the outlet. Medieval Times denied the allegations related to the case.
The lawsuit was eventually settled outside court.
Former stable hand Sidney Setzer told Vanity Fair that horses sometimes returned from training with “visible raised welts on their hindquarters from whipping.” Setzer also said there were “no limits” on how intensely a trainer could work a horse.
“Horses are notoriously skittish animals,” a PETA spokesperson told Vanity Fair, referring to the “couple of dozen” complaints the organization receives each year. “Medieval Times subjects them to loud music and strobe lights, and forces them to engage in raucous activities…sometimes under the threat of a whip.”
The lead trainer at the Buena Park castle has repeatedly denied abusing the horses.
As complaints about workplace conditions, animal treatment and low pay increased, workers at the Buena Park and Lyndhurst locations sought representation from the American Guild of Variety Artists, or AGVA.
Buena Park employees went on strike in 2023, but Medieval Times brought in replacement workers. The effort ultimately lost momentum, and AGVA withdrew its support.
After returning to work months later, Zapcic told The Los Angeles Times that employees who had joined the picket line were assigned menial tasks or moved into different roles.
“Medieval Times has operated as a king lording over his kingdom for its entire 40 years of business,” she said. “It has never been accountable to anyone, and used a lot of intimidation to make people fall in line.”
Zapcic left the company in 2024.
In 2026, Farrell sued Medieval Times, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation and gender discrimination. She claimed she was subjected to online harassment after joining the strike.
Farrell also alleged that, after she reported the conduct to management, a manager retaliated by directing a subordinate to remove stitching from her costume, causing a “wardrobe malfunction” during a live show.
Medieval Times has denied wrongdoing in court filings and said it took “all reasonable steps to prevent discrimination.”
The chain declined to comment on Vanity Fair’s report.
