When growing up, children collect core memories that stick with them forever. Stuffed animals, blankets, etc. But some of the biggest ones are television shows and movies. Nickelodeon is one of the biggest networks, having something for people to watch that targets an audience of all ages, but what many didn’t know was the real trauma behind the stars of the content itself. The true definition of two sides to every story.
In March, a documentary series came out called Quiet on Set, which talks exclusively about abuse and inappropriate instances that the stars had to go through on the Nickelodeon set. Many actors came to share their experience, but the most shocking one was Drake Bell, star of the early 2000s hit show, Drake and Josh. Bell talked about how he was sexually abused by a crew member, Brian Peck, for years, and that it was not brought to attention by an adult until he was around 16 years old. Legal action was taken against the abuser, charged with eleven counts of abuse. During the trial, many actors came forward writing letters to the court saying Peck was innocent. The trial was covered by the media for years, but the identity of the child was anonymous. Peck was still able to work on set with children on Disney Channel for many years after that.
In the documentary, they also talked about a pretty well-known case, Amanda Bynes. Bynes is mostly known for her work on All That and eventually getting her series The Amanda Show as well as many teen rom-coms. But eventually, she had a “Brittany Spears” moment as she fell off the deep end. Bynes was reported getting multiple drug charges and a DUI for hitting a cop car. She then was placed under a conservatorship with her parents controlling her life. But the biggest question of all is why? Why risk her whole career? One answer is Dan Schneider. Schneider was a hit producer, working on Sam and Cat, ICarly, The Amanda Show, etc. Even when Bynes was at the age of seven, he took a liking to her, giving her a series. Bynes then eventually moved in with Schneider in her teens years after going through a rough patch with her parents. Many speculated that she was being groomed by him for years, but nothing was ever confirmed. Bynes was also not the only victim of Schneider. According to Vox, Jennette McCurdy, ICarly and Sam and Cat star came out about how Schneider was sexist and racist. Paying female writers significantly less than males and writing plots that made black actors uncomfortable. He also would write hidden sexual jokes into the content for children to watch. Schneider still posts on social media, sharing pictures of old memories from filming. But since the documentary has come out, Schneider has removed the ability for people to comment on his posts and posted a video response to the allegations that did not smooth anything over.
Even though people enjoyed watching the iconic shows of their childhood, the Quiet on Set series has shown us that the acting industry is not always what it seems. Yes, not all have a horrible experience, but that can happen. So next time one is watching old shows on Nickelodeon, consider turning it off.
