The television channel, Nickelodeon, has shaped the childhoods of millions of children with shows like iCarly, Victorious, Drake and Josh, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, and All That, shining a spotlight on emerging child actors. However, was the spotlight all that it seemed to be? The Investigation Discovery documentary “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” is a four-part series that brings light to the horrifying stories, abuse, and treatment of children behind the cameras of Nickelodeon.
The Nickelodeon producer and golden boy, Dan Schneider, transformed Nickelodeon into one of the most popular television networks for children. He had the power to bring fame to any child or writer, but also the power to take it away. Many child actors and writers came forward to share their experiences with Schneider, his fostering of a hostile work environment, and inappropriate behavior on set. Various child actors shared they were not aware of the inappropriate jokes displayed in scenes, however, they were aware they were in uncomfortable situations. Scenes with Ariana Grande and a potato, Jamie Lynn Spears and a goo pop, and even Kyle Sullivan who had dogs licking peanut butter off his body are only some scenes with inappropriate connotations towards them. “This is a kids show. Who is sexual innuendo on a kids show for?” asked culture writer Scaachi Koul in the documentary.
Child star Drake Bell from the show “Drake & Josh” publicly spoke about his abuse for the first time from Nickelodeon dialogue coach, Brian Peck. Peck was convicted of sexually abusing a minor for over four months with Bell’s identity not released to the public. At that time, Bell was 15 and Peck was 40. Bell said Peck had begun to integrate himself into Bell’s life by volunteering to become his acting coach, following him on his concert tours, taking him to amusement parks, and hosting his birthday parties. Bell’s father, Joe Bell, began to feel uncomfortable with Peck’s behavior toward his son, however, he was dismissed as possibly being homophobic as Peck was gay. Joe Bell felt as if Peck began to drive a wedge between him and his son by convincing his son that his father was stealing his money and should not be his manager anymore. Bell claimed the abuse began when Peck started driving Bell to auditions and suggested that Bell stay over at his house as he had multiple auditions in a row. One night he found himself being sexually assaulted by Peck on the couch when he was 15. When asked if he could share details of the abuse, Bell said, “Think of the worst stuff that someone can do to someone as sexual assault and that will answer your question.” Bell said the abuse lasted over the span of four months until he told his mother and the case was brought to trial.
Bell noted that when he walked into the courtroom, Peck’s entire side of the courtroom was full while his side consisted of only his family. There were 41 letters of seal protecting Brian from Hollywood insiders such as James Marsden, Alan Thicke, Taran Killam, Beth and Rich Correll, Tom DeSanto, and Joanna Kerns, many of whom state they would never have supported Peck knowing what they know now. Peck was sentenced to 16 months in jail and was rehired by Disney Channel in their show “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.”
Additionally on Nickelodeon, Jason Handy was a production assistant in charge of guiding young cast members around the set. He was convicted to six years in prison for lewd acts on a child, sexual exploitation of a child, and distributing sexually explicit material to a minor, according to court records. Ezel Channel, an already convicted sex offender when hired, was an animator at Nickelodeon when he was sentenced to seven years in jail for committing lewd acts on a 14-year-old boy and showing him pornography on set.
Sexism and sexual harassment were common experiences with female workers behind the scenes. Two female staff writers, Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen, shared a single writer’s salary despite their claims that the male writers had full salaries. “There was almost always someone massaging Dan on set,” said a costume designer. Kilgen shared her experiences having to massage Schneider while he watched pornography on set in order for her sketches to be put on the show. Stratton was also asked to propose a sketch while pretending to be involved in a sexual act in front of Schneider as a form of amusement. Karyn Finley Thompson, an editor on “All That,” shared her experience of being hospitalized due to overwork and Schneider breaking his promise of her promotion, instead hiring a male who had no working credits. Schneider made it clear to everyone on set that he held the power and could easily take it away if anyone disagreed with him.
This hostile work environment behind the scenes of Nickelodeon highlights the need for change in the production industry. After an internal investigation within Nickelodeon, Dan Schneider was released in 2018. However, the child actors who spoke in the documentary all concluded with their plea for more child protection and support in counseling as these experiences in the show industry have had detrimental effects on their mental health. “There cannot be another Dan,” said Giovonnie Samuels, an actor from “All That.” In conclusion to the documentary, Nickelodeon has stated that they have “adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and expectations of our audience.” The documentary, “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” raises the question: are these measures enough?