A 61-year-old widow has become the target of intense harassment from Disney enthusiasts, who have reportedly doxxed, stalked, and even sent handwritten threats. This alarming behavior is directed at Kathleen Koszola, an amusement park influencer, due to her Disney World fan pages.
Koszola, who has amassed a following of approximately 300,000 people on social media, has been accused by these fervent Disney fans of profiting from her videos featuring park cast members. This has sparked outrage among some park devotees, who have gone as far as contacting authorities and Disney officials, urging them to ban her from the premises.
Amidst this backlash, Koszola has received disturbing messages, including one particularly hostile handwritten note that read, “F–K YOU…Get a job and get a life.”
In an interview with The Post, Koszola expressed how the relentless harassment has taken a toll on her life, stating, “It’s ruined my life!”
Her social media journey, under the moniker MagicParkMemories, began as a hobby following her dismissal from work four years ago. What started as a passion project has unfortunately spiraled into a source of distress due to the overwhelming negativity she now faces daily.
She launched her social media accounts — under the handle MagicParkMemories — as a hobby after being fired from her job four years ago, she said.
But in the last six months, Koszola has become a notorious villain for park-obsessed netizens who accuse her of exploiting performers for personal gain.
A YouTube series video by The Louie Bee claims Kathleen hogs the best seats in front of a piano stage at Magic Kingdom, begs for tips from her followers, and has “doxxed” one piano player by posting his performance schedule.
“The staff are keeping tabs on her and watching her at all times, because she is a safety risk,” speculated one poster to the r/ThemeParkSwindlers Reddit page after Koszola posted a selfie of her and a performer.
Users have taken to posting photos “Kathleen sightings” when they see her at the parks.
Koszola doesn’t deny being crazy for Disney World. She said she moved to Florida from Illinois in the ‘80s after her husband died of a brain aneurysm and began visiting Disney World at least twice a week.
She launched her social media pages after being fired from her job a few years ago.
“People coming up to me at the park if they see me. They’ve posted that they want to spit on me and slap the phone out of my hand,” Koszola told The Post.
She said her videos are harmless and the donations are tiny.
“Sometimes people give me one cent. Sometimes people give me ten cents. It’s a way to support the channel. I’m not even making $50 a month on this,” she said.
One controversial donation was marked “$20 for you and $20 for [a performer],” which naysayers claim proves she’s putting cast members’ jobs at risk by asking for tips on their behalf.
Disney cast members aren’t allowed to accept tips, but Koszola said she never solicits tips for them — and she used that $20 donation to buy the piano player snacks.
Her son Kevin, 37, who works as an accountant, said he has gone to both Disney and law enforcement for help, but the harassment of his mom hasn’t stopped.
“I’ve tried going through proper channels. I’ve tried talking to Disney. I’ve tried talking to police. … But there’s nothing police can do,” Kevin Koszola said.
The battle between Disney adults and influencers is nothing new, with each side accusing the other of turning Disney’s family getaways into an unhinged obsession.
One livestreamer got booted from Disneyland in March after someone swatted him in the park.
Koszola said her own fixation began after her husband died. As a struggling single mother, she said fond memories from the Magic Kingdom kept her going.
“I picked the name Magic Park Memories because it’s magic. Those memories are magical.”
