Drake Bell, Josh Peck, Kenan Thompson and Victoria Justice are amongst quite a few former Nickelodeon stars who’ve spoken out following the harrowing allegations revealed in Quiet on Set: The Darkish Aspect of Children TV.
Investigation Discovery’s five-part docuseries outlines allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate conduct involving underage stars and crewmembers on Nickelodeon TV present units run by Dan Schneider. A few of the applications talked about included The Amanda Present, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious and Sam & Cat.
Within the sequence, former creatives and crewmembers detailed their experiences behind the digicam, claiming they endured poisonous workplaces. Amanda Bynes, who was a outstanding younger determine on Nickelodeon within the Nineties and early 2000s, starring in The Amanda Present and All That, was additionally often talked about all through, though she didn’t take part within the docuseries.
Under, The Hollywood Reporter has compiled feedback made by former Nickelodeon actors following the discharge of Quiet on Set.
Drake Bell
Within the third episode of the docuseries, Drake & Josh star Drake Bell for the primary time publicly shared his story of alleged abuse he skilled by the hands of his former dialogue coach, Brian Peck, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a Nickelodeon little one actor in 2004. On the time, the minor was known as John Doe in court docket paperwork.
He graphically recounted the abuse within the doc, saying, “It simply obtained worse and worse and worse and … worse, and I used to be simply trapped and I had no approach out.” Days later, in his first interview after the ID venture aired, Bell additionally opened up about his hesitations earlier than doing Quiet on Set in addition to Nickelodeon’s “empty” response, including that it “was a really well-tailored response saying, ‘Studying about his trauma,’ as a result of they couldn’t say that they didn’t learn about this or what had occurred, or something.”
Following the docuseries’ launch, Bell shared that his Drake & Josh co-star Josh Peck (who’s not associated to Brian Peck) “reached out to speak with me and assist me work via this and has been actually, actually nice.”
Bell spoke out on podcast Not Skinny However Not Fats about how a lot Josh reaching out privately meant to him.
“Josh labored on The Amanda Present, so he noticed and knew what was occurring,” mentioned Bell on the April 2 episode. “I respect that he reached out to me privately and he didn’t go straight to the media, as a result of he was there with me and noticed what I used to be going via.”
Josh Peck
On March 22, Josh Peck broke his silence about Quiet on Set, noting that it “took just a few days to course of it.” He added in an Instagram submit, “I reached out to Drake privately, however wished to offer my help for the survivors who had been courageous sufficient to share their tales of emotional and bodily abuse on Nickelodeon units with the world. Kids ought to be protected. Reliving this publicly is extremely troublesome, however I hope it may possibly carry therapeutic for the victims and their households in addition to essential change to our trade.”
Victoria Justice
Justice starred in Zoey 101 and Victorious from 2005 to 2013, each of which had been produced by Schneider. In a latest interview with Marie Claire, the actress and singer shared her expertise with Nickelodeon, saying that it was largely optimistic, however that the docuseries did precisely painting Schneider’s “very giant ego,” which generally “clouded his higher judgment and affected the best way he handled folks.”
“There have been instances I felt like I used to be being handled unfairly,” Justice added, noting Schneider’s conduct round her was by no means sexually inappropriate, as others have alleged.
“On the finish of the day, my relationship with Dan is a really complicated one: I met him after I was 12 years previous, and he’s the person who gave me this huge break,” she continued. “He utterly modified my life. Most probably, I wouldn’t be right here the place I’m at present if it weren’t for him and for him seeing one thing in me. For that, I’ll all the time be grateful. After watching his apology, I feel he acknowledges that he did plenty of issues mistaken, and I feel if he may step again right into a time machine, he would do plenty of issues otherwise.”
Nancy Sullivan
Nancy Sullivan, the actress who performed Drake’s mom Audrey on Drake & Josh, has additionally shared her help for Bell. “It broke my coronary heart into 1,000,000 items to listen to simply how a lot Drake was holding inside whereas we had been working collectively,” she wrote partly on social media. “I used to be each devastated and proud seeing the person he’s grown into sit down on digicam and bravely inform his reality.”
Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee
After receiving backlash for a joke they seemingly made about Bell, Ned’s Declassified Faculty Survivor’s Information stars Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee took to their podcast to precise their regrets over the joke, in addition to to handle the docuseries as a complete.
Werkheiser, who beforehand apologized to Bell on X (previously Twitter), admitted that the trio hadn’t but seen Quiet on Set after they made the “tremendous shit” joke, including, “Everybody was asking us for our opinions on it, and I get it. Now, having seen the documentary, it’s so disturbing. Now, we’ve watched it, and I get it. If I had simply watched particularly that third episode after which watched us joking like that … I might be like, ‘Are they sociopaths? Is one thing mistaken with them?’”
Shaw additionally famous that they shouldn’t have joked in regards to the docuseries in any capability and been insensitive to what different folks have struggled with. “I hate that this occurred,” she mentioned. “I hate that we compounded any trauma round this example which means a lot to every of us. I’m sorry.”
Steve Burns
Former Blue’s Clues host Steve Burns additionally shared just a few phrases on the matter, making house for his (now grown-up) followers to share how they had been feeling.
“Hey, I’m checking in,” he mentioned in a TikTok. “Inform me what’s occurring.” Burns then waited for a response, staring into the digicam for a minute earlier than ending with, “OK. All proper, effectively, it’s good to listen to from you. You look nice, by the best way.”
He shared extra ideas when chatting with Right now: “Nick Jr. and Nickelodeon (programming) had been so totally different. We’re in New York, they’re in LA. There’s no overlap in any respect between any of these reveals and what we had been doing.”
“I don’t have have any specific perception into any of that,” Burns mentioned of the allegations. “I’m coming to it a lot the identical as anybody else, with horror and heartbreak. It’s simply horrible to observe it unfold. I don’t know what else to say, aside from that it’s heartbreaking. It’s obtained to be so unfathomably painful. The truth that that is now what everybody’s speaking about on the watercooler, it simply breaks my coronary heart.”
Alexa Nikolas
Zoey 101 alum Alexa Nikolas, who was among the many Nickelodeon stars to seem in Quiet on Set, has remained vocal following the docuseries’ launch. She launched a YouTube video reacting to Schneider’s response to the sequence, noting that she didn’t assume he was totally taking accountability for his dangerous actions. “I’m going to chop to the chase right here: You don’t really feel something, Dan. You don’t have any thought what accountability is. You’re looking for it, perhaps, however you haven’t landed on it. That’s for positive. This isn’t the best way,” she mentioned.
Talking with THR, Nikolas expanded on her personal alleged experiences with Schneider on the set of Zoey 101, together with a scenario that led to her deciding to go away the present for its third season.
Matthew Underwood
Matthew Underwood, who performed Logan in Zoey 101, launched a press release on Instagram sharing the traumatic experiences that made him stop performing. “I do know many people need me to reply to the Quiet on Set documentary. I’m going to share one thing with you that I by no means thought I’d have to speak about publicly, because it’s actually none of your corporation anyway,” he wrote.
The actor revealed he was groomed and molested at 12 by his greatest mates’ stepfather, shedding his greatest mates as a result of he “couldn’t spend any time with them with out feeling the private disgust and betrayal introduced on by a person I trusted as a father to me.”
He additionally shared that at 19, he was “sexually harassed after which assaulted” by his agent on the time, “who had spent a good period of time constructing belief” with Underwood as a “good friend and mentor.” The actor mentioned he reported his former agent to the company and the person was fired, however he stays “energetic within the trade.” This prompted Underwood to desert his performing profession and transfer out of Los Angeles.
Underwood then famous that the explanation he’s coming ahead together with his personal story is as a result of he’s obtained hate mail for not talking out after the discharge of the docuseries. “Many individuals have been blowing up my e mail telling me they hope me and my mother die and that we burn in hell, I’m being known as a pedophile defender and all that jazz,” he wrote.
He urged followers to be thoughtful of others who haven’t spoken up, as he imagines his mates within the trade “are being equally harassed in the event that they aren’t becoming a member of the refrain” and sure have good, private explanation why they haven’t mentioned what transpired at Nickelodeon.
Underwood moreover clarified that whereas he “by no means had a nasty expertise engaged on set of a Nickelodeon present” and by no means personally had a nasty expertise with Dan Schneider, he has chosen to “consider folks have the capability to be higher people and Dan seems to acknowledge that he has been an asshole in his previous.”
Allie DiMeco
Allie DiMeco, the actress who starred in The Bare Brothers Band as Rosalina, has spoken up about her personal experiences for the reason that launch of the docuseries. She made a TikTok saying she was “pressured” whereas watching Quiet on Set, as she additionally went via her personal trauma on the Nickelodeon sequence.
“There was an episode the place Rosalina ‘cheated’ on Nat and form of kissed a French man,” she defined, including that she didn’t need to kiss him. “He’s a 30-year-old man. I’m sorry, I couldn’t even watch it. It offers me fucking the ick, and it actually offers me PTSD,” DiMeco mentioned whereas taking part in an edited model of the present’s clip in query.
She added that she informed the Bare Brothers Band crew “many instances that I didn’t need to do it. My mother was very in opposition to it they usually just about made me really feel like I used to be going to lose my job, that I may be fired if I didn’t do it.”
Matt Bennett
Matt Bennett, an actor and DJ who starred in Victorious as Robbie Shapiro, shared a press release on his Instagram Story, talking out in help of the guy Nickelodeon stars. He talked about that, like lots of the community’s followers, he had watched Quiet on Set. As somebody who was a part of successful sequence on the community, he mentioned he spent his time watching the docuseries “making an attempt to take away myself from the scenario, asking, ‘If I hadn’t labored for Nickelodeon and didn’t know any of the folks concerned, would I be OK with the conduct and the therapy of others I’m seeing?’”
He realized that the reply was “No, I wouldn’t be happy with it and I’m not OK with it.” Bennett then famous that processing what occurred to the guy Nickelodeon little one stars is “a bit of too actual for me proper now and there are some psychological pretzels” he has to work on undoing. He moreover shared that he’s devoted to “assist in any approach I can to place extra safeguards in place to guard younger actors.”
Kenan Thompson
Whereas showing on The Tamron Corridor Present on March 27, Kenan Thompson, who began his profession on All That after which starred in his personal present Kenan & Kel, additionally voiced his help. He mentioned that although he didn’t share the identical experiences as different Nickelodeon stars, he stands by their choice to talk out.
“As a result of all these items occurred after I left, principally, and Dan [Schneider] wasn’t actually on Kenan & Kel like that. I imply, he obtained a ‘created by’ credit score, nevertheless it was a distinct showrunner. So our worlds weren’t actually overlapping outdoors of all that, essentially. After which all that negativity form of began taking place outdoors of our tenure there,” Thompson defined.
He added, “I feel it’s a superb factor that the doc is out, and it’s placing issues on show that must be, , tales that must be informed for this, accountability sake. But it surely’s positively powerful to observe as a result of I’ve fond recollections of that place, and I’ve fond recollections of my co-stars and stuff like that. So to listen to that they’ve gone via horrible issues like that, it’s simply, it’s actually powerful.”
Chris Massey
In the meantime, after Zoey 101 star Chris Massey’s mom took to Instagram to defend Dan Schneider, calling him a “genius” and asking for the blame to be positioned on the dad and mom as an alternative of the showrunner, Massey launched his personal assertion on the social media platform. He wrote, “My story can be informed from me…. not from a mother or father, a good friend, a co-worker… ME!!! and solely ME… so please cease messaging me about what my mother mentioned… respectfully.”
Massey later appeared on the Tea Time w/ Raven-Symoné & Miranda podcast. He shared that he hadn’t seen the docuseries but however addressed Bell coming ahead together with his story. Massey mentioned he knew Bell personally they usually have teamed on humanitarian work collectively. “We’ve performed plenty of issues so even for me to to listen to that was surprising,” he mentioned. “They’ll blame folks or attempt to victimize folks for popping out late however plenty of instances you don’t know what these persons are coping with or the way it weighs on them.”
When requested by Symoné whether or not Massey felt like Schneider was dismissive of the Black male stars of the reveals, Massey mentioned he didn’t expertise that. “I totally loved being on set. I by no means felt excluded. He did a very good job of creating it like Mates for for youngsters,” he mentioned. “I witnessed him [Schneider] being upset when issues had been going mistaken however so does each boss, so does each supervisor.” He additionally famous that yelling or criticism didn’t all the time equate to a “poisonous atmosphere” particularly when the younger castmembers may at instances “lose observe that that is work.”
Jennie Garth
When requested about her working relationship with Schneider at a latest occasion, What I Like About You star Jennie Garth bluntly said to THR, “I don’t need to speak about Dan Schneider ever once more in my life.” Garth famous she has not heard from her co-star Amanda Bynes for the reason that airing of the documentary, however did say, “I simply love her and I might like to see her at any level.”
Garth and Bynes starred as sisters on the WB sequence, which was co-created by Schneider and aired from 2022-06. — Ryan Fish
Lori Beth Denberg
Former All That star Lori Beth Denberg accused Schneider of taking part in pornography for her, lashing out at her on set and as soon as initiating telephone intercourse. Denberg, who was 19 on the time, informed Enterprise Insider, in an interview carried out by Quiet on Set govt producer Kate Taylor, that when he first confirmed her pornography clips on his pc, she felt “like that’s the first time he preyed on me.”
She added that whereas she didn’t initially assume his conduct was inappropriate, provided that she was not a minor on the time of their dynamic turning into sexual, she has since realized the ability dynamic he took benefit of. Denberg informed the publication that the explanation why she felt she couldn’t flip down Schneider was as a result of her job was on the road.
Schneider denied Denberg’s allegations, writing partly, “Lori Beth’s accusations of me are wildly exaggerated and, normally, false.”
***
The primary 4 episodes of Quiet on Set: The Darkish Aspect of Children TV are at present streaming on Max, in addition to the fifth episode, Breaking the Silence.