Yahoo Lifestyle "I Don't Forgive Dan Schneider": 12 Nickelodeon Stars Who've Spoken Out After The "Quiet On Set" Documentary
Note: This post mentions allegations of child sexual abuse.
This week, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV exposed the allegedly toxic and abusive culture that child stars faced during their time at Nickelodeon. The four-part documentary largely centered around Dan Schneider, who created hit shows like iCarly, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and Victorious.
In one episode, Drake Bell identified himself as the sexual abuse victim of Brian Peck, the Nickelodeon dialogue coach who was arrested in 2003 on 11 charges, including lewd acts with a minor.
Here are 12 Nickelodeon actors who've spoken out since the documentary aired:
1.Drake Bell (Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show)
After the documentary aired, social media users pressured Josh Peck (no relation to Brian Peck) to speak out. Drake posted a TikTok video asking fans to "take it a little easy" on his former castmate. "Processing this and going through this is a really emotional time, and a lot of it’s very, very difficult," he said. "So not everything is put out to the public. I just want you guys to know that [Josh] has reached out to me, and it’s been very sensitive. He has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this, and has been really, really great."
2.Josh Peck (Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show)
In an Instagram post, Josh wrote, "I finished the Quiet on Set documentary and took a few days to process it. I reached out to Drake privately, but want to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world. Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry."
3.Alexa Nikolas (Zoey 101)
After the documentary released, Dan Schneider shared an apology video where he was interviewed by BooG!E, an iCarly actor. Alexa responded to it with a two-hour YouTube video, saying, "I would’ve appreciated if Dan apologized directly to me. He’s a bully, a meanie, and impacted my life, right? ... Where’s a phone call of an apology? How come you can do all of this, how can everyone do all of this but not reach out to the person that they hurt?"
Alexa said she doesn't accept Dan's apology. "I don't forgive Dan Schneider. Not saying I'll never, right? But currently, right now, that made me a little more upset, just because that just wasn't it. That wasn't proper accountability. That was avoiding a lot of the main discussions here that were mentioned in Quiet on Set. This was him playing the sympathy card, centering himself, playing the victim."
4.Angelique Bates (All That)
In an Instagram post, she answered some questions from fans. "1. Why weren’t you on Quiet on Set? I was asked in the very beginning and I declined multiple times. 2. Why don’t you come out and speak? I did. I was the first one who did several times and years ago. And I was ridiculed and shunned by a lot of my peers, industry, and the internet."
In the caption of another Instagram post, she wrote, "For those that spoke their truth, nothing but love & light. I still have no regrets in declining to participate. Certain stories hurt my heart. And I pray that you are able to heal."
5.Nancy Sullivan (Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show)
Nancy — who played Drake's mom on Drake & Josh — posted on Instagram, writing, "They weren't my real kids, but I'll always love them. It broke my heart into a million pieces to hear just how much Drake was holding inside while we were working together. I was both devastated and proud seeing the man he's grown into sit down on camera and bravely tell his truth.
Past abuse doesn't define us, and it has no right to rule our lives, I know that putting this burden down will free him in so many ways. I hope memories of the joy he had on our shows will someday greatly overshadow the pain. Sending love to Drake for a deep healing and for a rich and beautiful life ahead."
6.Jack Salvatore Jr. (Zoey 101)
In an Instagram video, Jack listed several troubling things he could talk about regarding Dan Schneider. "But what I do want to talk about is never letting this stuff happen again," he said. "This is an entire industry built on hope and dreams and adrenaline and wish fulfillment. And that can be a very dangerous thing for megalomaniacs to wield.
Even in posting this, I’m a little afraid — is this going to screw up my career moving forward? I have no idea, but I think it’s important and it needs to be said. Because if my silence ensures the perpetuation of environments I don’t want to work in anymore, then what is the point of working in them? And until homeboy goes on 60 Minutes to answer some questions from some real journalists and not some cast member of his who he’s paying to be there: apology not accepted."
7.Raquel Lee Bolleau (The Amanda Show)
In an Instagram post, she shared her reaction to both appearing in and watching Quiet on Set. She wrote, "I’ve been in deep pain the past few days watching the documentary. To know that I am not alone in some of the things I experienced as a child actor, but to also hear the types of environments I was in as a kid without even knowing, just sickens my stomach. I know that everything happens for a reason and we all deserve to heal from our trauma, but this is so hard to take in.
I struggled to be a part of this documentary because although this industry has caused me a lot of pain, there was still something in me that felt I shouldn’t say anything that I went through because 'what if people don’t want to work with me anymore' but then I realized, I’ve been fighting to be seen and heard for sooooo long in this industry. I’ve paid my dues, I’ve put in the work, and now I can be ok walking away with my head held high. What’s most important is that we all begin our healing, now that we have more clarity and truth."
8.Devon Werkheiser (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide)
In a TikTok livestream with Ned's Declassified costars Lindsay Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee, Devon seemed to make a lewd joke about the sexual abuse Drake Bell suffered. He then said, "Sorry, we shouldn't joke about this. We really shouldn't."
Drake called them out on Twitter, writing, "Ned’s Declassless…this is wild…laugh it up guys."
Soon after, Devon posted an apology note on Twitter. "I was being an idiot today," he wrote. "No way around it. I feel horrible that my dumbass was even speaking about this without seeing it. I watched Quiet on Set tonight and am horrified by the gravity of what Drake and others shared. Truly heartbroken over what my fellow actors went through. I can't believe they weren't protected. I'm sorry for compounding any hurt."
9.Leon Frierson (All That)
Leon shared his reaction to Dan's apology video in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. "Overall, I am pleased with Dan Schneider's acknowledgment of wrong doing and display of humility. I participated in the documentary to speak my truth and represent child stars, but I'm not here to judge those implicated for an eternity. While his apology and response to rumors is incredibly timely, and could have come sooner, it is welcomed. However, I can't speak for all those affected by his actions. Lastly, Dan rightfully pointed out the missteps by the network and shed light on a failed process in terms of the questionable content that was broadcast to the world. To me, it's important to note that his contribution to a toxic work environment does not include sexual crimes and shouldn't necessarily be connected with convicted offenders."
10.Giovonnie Samuels (All That)
In an Instagram post, she wrote, "Thank you to everyone that watched #QuietOnSet. I really appreciate your support. This has been a difficult year-long process of making this documentary and speaking up. I couldn’t have done this without my brothers @hearne3000 @giojohnson Let’s keep this conversation going!"
11.Natanya Ross (The Secret World of Alex Mack)
In an Instagram story, she wrote, "In support of my friends that were directly affected by this documentary, and most importantly, affected in real life, I want to say that my heart and prayers go out to the victims and their families. I also want to make very clear that this was not my experience on Nickelodeon, and for that, I thank Lynch Entertainment and the entire cast and crew of The Secret World of Alex Mack. However, we need to do better by our young child actors. Sending love to all."
12.And finally, Bryan Hearne (All That)
In a video shared on Instagram, he said, "I just wanted to check in real quick and say thank you for the love and support pouring in after we’ve all seen Quiet on Set. I feel very honored to have been given the opportunity to share my story. It’s definitely hard as a Black man in Hollywood, let alone a Black child. I couldn’t see what my mom was doing for me at the time, but I’m very grateful to her for being the kick-ass mom that she was, that she is."
He also expressed solidarity with the other actors. "I wanted to give a shoutout to every child star. If you were dealing with your own triggers watching this documentary, I feel you. I’m here for you. You heard. There’s no due date to healing. If you’re wondering 'Why now?' It’s because it’s time for justice. It’s time for all this stuff to be revealed and released for so many of us."
Dan's spokesperson shared a statement on Monday, which was later obtained by the Hollywood Reporter:
"Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network. Had there been any scenes or outfits that were inappropriate in any way, they would have been flagged and blocked by this multilayered scrutiny. Remember, all stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts. A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes. In addition, every day on every set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching filming and rehearsals."
Nickelodeon also released a statement to BuzzFeed regarding alleged behavior on past production sets:
"Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors 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."
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.
