Disney Removing Iconic Aerosmith Ride Amid Sexual Assault Allegations?
There's speculation that Disney may remove the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith attraction in light of recent sexual assault allegations made against Steven Tyler.
Disney could be phasing out the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios because of the recent sexual assault allegations leveled at Steven Tyler, according to a report from Inside the Magic (ITM). There’s been no confirmation from Disney that any changes will be made to the ride, but ITM claims to have received word from theme park guests has taken steps to distance the ride from the band.
First opened to the public at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the summer of 1999, in the past the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith has traditionally included a video preshow with Steven Tyler and the rest of the band. When you board the coaster cars, which are fashioned to look like a stretch limo, according to the preshow narrative you’re hopping onto a stretch limo taking you to an Aerosmith show. However, recent visitors to the attraction report that the preshow isn’t being used at all, and instead guests are brought directly to the cars.
ITM also says guests report that music being played at the Disney attraction is of a classic rock variety, but often times the songs played don’t included hits by Aerosmith.
ITM is speculating that some of the changes Disney is making to the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith are related to the sexual assault lawsuit filed in the closing days of 2022 by Julia Holcomb. Holcomb alleges that Tyler assaulted her in the 70s when she was 16.
Whether or not the trouble Steven Tyler finds himself in has anything at all to do with Disney’s changes to its Aerosmith themed ride, as ITM notes, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith was already due for some changes. Before news broke about the lawsuit filed against Steven Tyler, Disney announced it would be shutting the ride down for a refurbishment. The ride is supposed to be shut down starting February 20.
No firm reopening date has been announced for the attraction, only that it’s expected to once more be open to guests some time in the summer.
One possibility is that Disney might be rebranding the Aerosmith ride in part because of the recent allegations made against Steven Tyler, but it could also have been a rebrand a long time coming. Originally coming to fame in to ’70s, Aerosmith was able to achieve revivals in both the ’80s and a much more lasting push back to the limelight in the ’90s. But at this point with Aerosmith not releasing a new studio album in over a decade — 2012’s Music from Another Dimension — it could be that the theme park is looking to pay tribute to a more current band (and probably, simultaneously, one with fewer sexual assault allegations leveled against it).
