Of the many elements of the original Disney MGM Studios that have been lost to time and the park’s evolution, we may miss the Citizens of Hollywood the most.
The Citizens of Hollywood used to roam the streets of the park’s Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. These performers interacted with visitors while in the guise of classic `1930s Hollywood archetypes, including gossip columnists, reporters, policemen, and starlets. Unfortunately, we have not seen the Citizens of Hollywood for quite some time, and we think we know why.
Over five years ago, in 2020, Disney World shut down for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the parks finally reopened that summer, they were changed forever.
Face coverings had to be worn both inside and outside, you needed to social distance, certain rides and dining locations did not open right away, and many forms of entertainment were cut.
Given the guidelines at the time, close interactions with guests would not be allowed. It took some time for entertainment offerings to start returning to the parks. For example, the Beauty and the Beast Stage show in Hollywood Studios did not return until 2021, and Fantasmic! did not return until 2022.
It is hard to imagine the Magic Kingdom without fireworks, but it took a year for fireworks to start to light up the sky again, as they restarted in July of 2021.
However, some shows never reopened. For example, the long-running The Voyage of the Little Mermaid closed and never reopened. In 2025, it was replaced by a new take on the show, The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure.
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The Citizens of Hollywood were briefly spotted in 2022, cheering on runners during runDisney’s Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.
However, as sad as it is, it seems unlikely that the Citizens of Hollywood will return. Entertainment at the parks has seen a huge shift since 2020. With the number of cuts we’ve seen Disney making, we fear our beloved Citizens of Hollywood will not return. But it is not just Disney World that has entertainment cuts, as Disneyland saw a huge reduction in entertainment offerings like Club Pixar and Doctor Strange: Mysteries of the Mystic Arts in recent years.
We love the kinetic energy that entertainment brings to the parks; it makes you feel like you are part of the story. Unfortunately, we fear a lot of the decisions to cut entertainment simply comes down to cost. Many of the entertainment performers who were let go during the closures were equity performers. These performers are paid more than a standard meet and greet Cast Member in the parks. They also follow different rules when it comes to their shifts and breaks than standard Cast Members do.
Could Disney bring more equity performers like the Citizens of Hollywood back?! Would we and many of our readers love to see them back? YES.
Citizens of HollywoodIn the fall of 2025, we received a glimmer of hope that more live entertainment is on the way back to Hollywood Studios. During a recent visit to the park, we encountered a juggler (yes, a juggler).
The Juggler’s theme throughout the entire act is “That’s A Record,” where he checks in by phone with a record keeper when he’s not pulling folks from the audience for help during acts and finding ways to take something that’s already been done before and add something else to it to make it a “record.” At one point, he even brought out a special guest – Donald Duck – to help.
While we are glad to see some form of entertainment has returned, we can’t help but mourn what we lost in the Citizens of Hollywood, and hope they come back one day. To never miss the latest Disney news, make sure to keep following along with AllEars.
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Do you remember the Citizens of Hollywood? Let us know in the comments!
