Commonly known as Nickelodeon kids, those raised in the late 90s and early 20s were given an unforgettable childhood by the child stars of Nickelodeon. Unfortunately, those very stars who entertained us lost their childhoods in the process. Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is a five-part documentary series, detailing the abuse of Nickelodeon’s child actors in the ’90s and early ’20s. Nickelodeon Television producer, Dan Schneider, was accused of fostering a hostile work environment for years, and no one helped these kids when they needed it the most. After the series was released, the show was positively reviewed by previous Nickelodeon watchers and critics, with praise given to individuals who were victimized by their negative experiences working at Nickelodeon.
This documentary series premiered in March of 2024, displaying the toxic work environment on Nickelodeon – including abuse, sexism, racism, and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew. The series raises questions about the protections in place for child stars to work in and out of the film industry. The series also highlighted the abuse many child actors faced while working for the Nickelodeon Network. Drake Bell revealed that during the filming of Drake and Josh and All That, (both popular shows) he was sexually abused by Brian Peck who was employed by the network. Peck, who was earlier convicted of sexually abusing Drake Bell, is at the center of much of the series. Episode four highlights the people in the industry who wrote letters of support for Peck while he was in court and how no one supported Drake Bell. The people who turned a blind eye were put in positions of power and were able to exploit the young people who were often in their care.
Dan Schneider would purposely create sneaky and sketchy skits in the series All That and The Amanda Show, along with the sitcoms Kenan & Kel, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, and Victorious. The cast’s allegations that the creator and producer often terrorized sets mounted for years. In 2022, former child actors, including iCarly’s Jennette McCurdy and Zoey 101’s Alexa Nikolas, called out “sexualized” scenes Schneider included in children’s shows. This hasn’t stopped, unfortunately, because we are still hearing sad stories of these child stars today. Quiet on Set is a step in the right direction to bring awareness to the behind-the-scenes of many production companies.
