This past weekend, Disney California Adventure’s new restaurant Lamplight Lounge was the source of controversy as fans on social media took issue with some the music played at the Pixar-themed eatery.
- Lamplight Lounge’s playlist reportedly included tracks from Disney remixer Pogo (AKA Nick Bertke).
- As The Verge reports, earlier this year, a video of Bertke espousing homophobic beliefs surfaced.
- Among the many offensive statements made by Bertke in the clip, the remixer asserted that the Pulse nightclub shooting, which left 49 people dead, was “fantastic.”
- Bertke maintains that the video has been taken out of context.
- When news of Pogo’s inclusion on the park’s playlist emerged, several Twitter users — including @commondisneyfan and @dlthings — urged Disney to remove the songs.
- Within hours, screenshots taken of direct messages from the @DisneylandToday account confirmed that the restaurant had altered the loops to remove Pogo’s songs.
- This isn’t the first time Disney has made changes to their park’s following controversies outside of their control. In 2015, Disney’s Hollywood Studios removed a bust featuring Bill Cosby after allegations of sexual assault emerged against the TV star.
- Reaching even further back, Disney and the Florida Citrus Commission severed ties with Anita Bryant after the “Orange Bird Song” singer became a prominent anti-gay rights advocate.