Stephen Colbert gives us a peek at a "de-wokeified" Disney World under Ron DeSantis

On "The Late Show," a video short shows what Disney would look like with DeSantis' marching orders put to use

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published March 1, 2023 7:54PM (EST)

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS)

On Tuesday's episode of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," a comedic video short allowed viewers to take a peek at what Disney World in Orlando would look like if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had his way.

On Monday, a bill was signed by DeSantis that effectively places the municipal services and development of the special zone encompassing the park within his control. As NPR highlights in their coverage of the bill, this appears to be "retaliation for a growing feud between Disney and the governor, which hit a tipping point last year when DeSantis said Disney 'crossed the line' by opposing an education bill that restricts classroom discussion around gender identity and sexual orientation."

"The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end," DeSantis said during a news conference on Monday. "There's a new sheriff in town, and accountability will be the order of the day."

In the video shown on "The Late Show," we're given an idea of the changes this new "sheriff" could potentially enforce, and one of them involves anatomically correct Disney characters roaming throughout the popular tourist destination.

"We here at Disney Parks have received our marching orders and are thrilled to announce updates to our newly de-wokeified Magical Kingdom," the video intros, debuting the following changes:

01
The Hall of Presidents
This will no longer include parts of American history DeSantis' supporters don't want to talk about.
 
"I'm Abraham Lincoln, and I established the Department of Agriculture. That's it," the new Lincoln animatronic is shown saying within the attraction.
02
The Animal Kingdom
Guests will now be able to hunt the animals, rather than just watch them from behind barricades.
 
But's that not all . . . 
03
Disney characters
To make it overtly apparent which gender each of the park's characters is, costumes have been updated with realistic genitalia.
04
Ethnic groups
"We don't talk about Bruno because he was forced on to a plane and shipped off to Martha's Vineyard," says the video's voiceover, showing a clip from the Disney film "Encanto."

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05
It's A Straight World After All
"It's a straight world after all. It is wrong to watch RuPaul," rings out the new theme song for the revamping of this nostalgic water ride. 

Watch below:


By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Nights and Weekends Editor covering daily news, politics and culture. Her work has been featured in Vulture, The A.V. Club, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, Vice, and elsewhere.

MORE FROM Kelly McClure


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List Ron Desantis Stephen Colbert The Late Show Walt Disney World