With the emergence of new testimony from former child actors, people are finally taking a closer look at the kids’ entertainment industry.
The recent documentary, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” revealed shocking information about what children experienced while working for Nickelodeon. The four-part series includes evidence and personal accounts from those who were subjected to the abuse by Dan Schneider and others at the company.
Schneider allegedly put children in sexually suggestive scenes, played explicit videos in the writers’ room and forced female workers to give him massages to keep their jobs. Additionally, he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with child actress Amanda Bynes, the star of “The Amanda Show.”
Although Bynes has not made a formal statement about Schneider, many people remark on the uncomfortably close relationship between them. Regardless of these rumors, Schneider continued to work with child actors without a thorough investigation until 2018, when Nickelodeon laid him off for his abuse and discrimination against employees.
The docuseriesalso brought to lightBrian Peck‘s crimes. The acting and dialogue coach for Nickelodeon was arrested in 2003 on numerous charges related to lewd acts with a minor. It was not until “Quiet on Set” that his victim was revealed to be Drake Bell, an actor on “The Amanda Show” and “Drake & Josh”.
Peck encouraged Bell to stay at his home for auditions, where he repeatedly sexually assaulted the then 15-year-old. Even after Bell’s father raised concerns about Peck’s relationship with his son, Nickelodeon denied investigating him. It was only after six months of abuse that Drake Bell was ready to tell his family what happened. Years later, with his appearance in “Quiet on Set,” he was finally ready to tell the world.
Even before the documentary came out, actors have been speaking out against Nickelodeon for years. In 2022, Jennette McCurdy released her memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died“ to share her experiences in child acting.
Starring in “iCarly” and “Sam & Cat” as Sam Puckett, she worked with Nickelodeon for most of her teenage and young adult life until leaving the company in 2014. McCurdy’s best-selling book highlights the uncomfortable situations that Dan Schneider pushed her into. She writes that he made her wear revealing swimsuits, have her first kiss on camera and drink spiked coffee.
She discusses how child acting affected her beyond Nickelodeon. McCurdy realized early on that her body was a “commodity” and used calorie restrictions to keep her young physique and avoid puberty. After years of struggling with eating disorders, McCurdy is in recovery from the trauma she endured as a child actor.
In light of the testimony from former child actors, Nickelodeon made a recent statement explaining that although the company sympathizes with the victims, it cannot admit or deny the accusations displayed in the documentary. The company emphasized that it would continue to prioritize the safety of their actors and employees.
Nickelodeon is notorious for employing sex offenders in the past, most notably Jason Handy and Ezel Channel, both convicted of sexual abuse of a child. In some cases, they had previous allegations that Nickelodeon was made aware of before hiring. Nickelodeon and the entirety of the kids’ entertainment industry must be held to higher standards if they are to continue working with children.
The acknowledgment of abuse found in the kids’ entertainment industry is long overdue, and immediate action is necessary to prevent it from happening in the future. While there are laws protecting child actors from long working hours, there is often no one protecting them on set.
Children should not be left alone with producers without the presence of a parent or child advocate; similarly, a trusted adult should be monitoring what happens on set to protect actors from participating in uncomfortable or inappropriate scenes.
A high level of professionalism should be expected from companies that work with minors. Instead of creating a safe environment for kids to perform, Nickelodeon protected predators.
