Topline
In a bonus episode of “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” released Sunday night, Drake Bell talked about the aftermath of going public with his story of sexual abuse and other former child stars discussed what life has been like for them after the Investigation Discovery documentary was released.
Key Facts
Bell, who revealed he was the victim of sexual abuse during his time at Nickelodeon for the first time in the docuseries, said that since it aired none of the people who wrote letters in support of his abuser, Brian Peck—including actors James Marsden, Taran Killam, Will Friedle, Rider Strong and dozens of others—had reached out or apologized personally to him.
Bell also addressed his relationship with Dan Schneider—the producer the series is largely focused on, alleging he ran a toxic workplace for writers and actors—saying that he “can only speak from (his) experience” and during his abuse, Schneider “was really the only one from the network that even made a effort to help me and make sure I was OK.”
Former “All That” cast members Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne, who both appeared in the series, said in Sunday’s episode they had to “take a step back from social media” after the series aired because of the “overwhelming” supportive response.
Samuels revealed in Sunday night’s episode that Schneider had reached out to her a week before the series aired asking for “a quote of support” against the allegations—though she said when her former producer asked if she had a good time on set, she “told him I was terrified of him.”
Hearne dismissed Schneider’s apology—which was released after the series aired—as “funny,” saying he was a former actor who “brushed off some chops and gave us a nice performance.”
Shane Lyons, another former “All That” cast member and the only person in the bonus episode who had not yet appeared in the docuseries, said Peck, Bell’s abuser, had made “some passes” at him during the time they worked together.
Tangent
Bell also took the opportunity of the fifth episode of the docuseries to again defend his former co-star on “Drake & Josh,” Josh Peck (no relation to Brian Peck). Soledad O’Brien, who moderated the fifth episode, asked Bell about Josh Peck, saying “people were very hard on him for what they perceived to be his reaction to your story.” Bell, who had previously asked people “to take it easy” on Josh Peck, said the internet was attacking Josh Peck for “really nothing,” again confirming Josh Peck reached out to him and saying the pair has “a close connection and this unique bond.”
Key Background
“Quiet on Set” investigated the alleged toxic culture of kids shows on Nickelodeon that aired in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including “Zoey 101,” “iCarly,” “All That” and “Drake & Josh.” In the docuseries, former cast, crew and writers alleged Schnieder ran a toxic workplace for both the child actors and writers on his shows, saying he asked young people for massages on set, wrote sexualized jokes for the kids and was sexist to women writers. The series also revealed the abuse that Bell suffered while at Nickelodeon from a dialogue coach, and that another former crew member on one of the shows was arrested for lewd acts with a minor. Bell told O’Brien in the bonus episode that he had considered sharing his story before and decided to now because of how comfortable the creators of “Quiet on Set” made him. Schneider, who was the producer and creator on multiple shows that were big successes for Nickelodeon, released an interview with a former “iCarly” cast member in which he apologized for his behavior, saying “Quiet on Set” was hard to watch at times and that he was “embarrassed.”
Surprising Fact
More than 16 million people viewed the first four episodes of “Quiet on Set” across Investigation Discovery, Max and Discovery+, making it the show with the largest audience of any unscripted series since Max launched in May 2023.
