Trigger Warning: discusses allegations of child sexual abuse
Over the last few days, snippets from the shocking documentary Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV have been circulating on social media. The four part series from Investigation Discovery has uncovered claims of abuse, racism, harassment and toxic behaviour at Nickelodeon in the late 90s and early 00s.
As the biggest kids TV network of the time, many of the shows - including Kenan & Kel, Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show and Zoey 101 - launched the careers of dozens of child stars under the guidance of producer Dan Schneider. However, the documentary has uncovered an incredibly dark side to children's TV, with Schneider himself accused of creating sexually suggestive content for the underage actors and overworking staff. The series also claims that at least three Nickelodeon employees had previous child sexual abuse convictions.
The documentary also covers the arrest of dialogue coach Brian Peck, with actor Drake Bell - now aged 37 - discussing the sexual abuse he suffered when he was a teenager working for Nickelodeon.
In a video obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Schneider said: "Watching over the past two nights was very difficult — me facing my past behaviours, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.
"When I watched the show, I could see the hurt in some people’s eyes, and it made me feel awful and regretful and sorry. I wish I could go back, especially to those earlier years of my career, and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was OK to be an asshole to anyone, ever."
An official statement from Schneider, which was shared in the fourth episode of Quiet On Set, read: "Everything that happened on the shows I ran was carefully scrutinised by dozens of involved adults. All stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts... In addition, every day on set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching us rehearse and film."
Nickelodeon has also addressed the documentary claims, saying via The Hollywood Reporter: "Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviours from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct.
"Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."
Here are some of the most explosive accusations from Quiet On Set.
All That racism
According to All That star Bryan Hearne, staff at Nickelodeon would consistently encourage him to play 'drug dealers', rappers and other racially stereotyped roles. He also said that and one senior member of staff would regularly compare his skin to 'charcoal', saying: "I was referred to as a 'piece of charcoal' [by an adult]. Remarks like that are harmful. They stay with you."
Bryan also said he often felt uncomfortable during the sketches, when he would be acting in situations that felt demeaning such as wearing skintight leotards and allowing a dog to lick peanut butter off of his body. He said: "It was a really uncomfortable situation, and after a while it felt like we were just part of this torture chamber."
The Amanda Show star's explicit images from a production assistant
One child actor, Brandi, starred in one episode of The Amanda Show. In the documentary, her mother explains that shortly afterwards, she began to get emails from production assistant, Jason Handy, and eventually she received an explicit image from him.
Jason Handy was convicted in 2004 when he pled no contest to two charges against him - one being lewd acts on a child, the other distributing sexually explicit material. He was released in 2009 but was arrested five years later for sex offender registry violations.
Drake Bell details sexual assault allegations
Drake & Josh star Drake Bell appeared in the documentary to discuss his experience of sexual assault at the hands of dialogue coach, Brian Peck. In 2004, Peck was convicted of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation of a person under 16 and Bell had previously been named as John Doe in court records. However, we waived his anonymity in Quiet On Set to talk about his harrowing experience as a teenager.
What has Nickelodeon said about Quiet On Set?
The documentary shared an official statement from Nickelodeon in response to the allegations, which states: "Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."
Where can I watch Quiet On Set in the UK?
Where will the Nickelodeon documentary Quiet On Set be available to view in the UK?
Quiet on Set originally aired on Investigation Discovery, and while the documentary is available to watch on Max in the US - and can also be purchased on Prime Video - there is no confirmed release date in the UK. However, as soon as that changes we'll keep you posted.
