“Knights Will Be Knights.” At Medieval Times, a Dinner-Theater Kingdom Faces a Reckoning

Plus: Karen Bass Is Fighting for Her Political Life; How Anthony Boyle Prepared to Play Sam Bankman-Fried; Thomas Frank Thinks Creativity Is a Con

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October 28, 2026

Hear ye, hear ye: Something is rotten in the state of California. (And New Jersey, and a few more places too.) Alessandra Schade spent years reporting out this banger of a feature about trouble at Medieval Times, a fantasy dinner-theater franchise plagued by lawsuits, allegations of sexual harassment and animal abuse, and a unionization effort that ended ignominiously after a nine-month strike. It’s the sort of distress that could disturb any number of workplaces—but the faux–Middle Ages setting makes every detail that much more dramatic. “There’s like a whole pseudo-fraternity thing going on,” says one former stable hand of the franchise’s behind-the-scenes culture. A former lord chancellor calls it a “knights will be knights” attitude. Even Chaucer couldn’t make this stuff up. Elsewhere, VF brings you a handy pocket guide to the midterm races that matter most, while Maxwell Adler profiles embattled LA mayor Karen Bass and Joy Press snags star Anthony Boyle’s first interview about playing incarcerated crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried in a new Netflix series. More tomorrow!

HILLARY BUSIS FEATURES EDITOR

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MIDTERMS 2026   Karen Bass Is Fighting for Her Political Life. Will Hollywood Turn on Her?   By Maxwell Adler   Once a darling of the city’s liberal elite, the Los Angeles mayor is facing a challenge from a younger progressive who has friends of her own in the entertainment industry. With her political future on the line, Bass sits down with Vanity Fair to discuss her radical past, her powerful allies, and the fight to keep her job. Read more

EXCLUSIVE   Sex, Cringe, and Crypto: How Anthony Boyle Got Inside Sam Bankman-Fried's Head   By Joy Press   The Irish actor on playing SBF in The Altruists, a Netflix drama about the rise and fall of FTX: “Sam might have been the world’s first trillionaire had he not gone to jail.” Read more

BUSINESS   “Knights Will Be Knights.” At Medieval Times, a Dinner-Theater Kingdom Faces a Reckoning   By Alessandra Schade   Serfs, wenches, queens, and knights on horseback bring a feudal fantasy to life. But away from the spotlight, lawsuits, allegations of sexual harassment and animal abuse, and a nine-month strike have plagued the popular themed restaurant. Read more

BOOKS   Thomas Frank Wants You to Know Creativity Is a Con   By Marisa Meltzer   His new book argues that America is too fascinated by innovation. Read more

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