Abused child actors in the film and media industry come out with their traumatic experiences, as the Nickelodeon cast. The documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV was released on March 17, 2024. Dan Schneider is a TV producer, screenwriter, and actor in popular shows in the late 90s and early 2000s: iCarly, Zoey 101, Drake and Josh, Sam and Cat, The Amanda Show, Good Burger, Victorious, and All That. Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV displays the dangerous and toxic environment behind the scenes of popular children’s TV shows.
Schneider hired two newly experienced writers for the Amanda show, Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton, who received a shared salary and often worked for Schneider for free. In addition, Schneider was known to favor male employees. Kilgen and Stratton quit, and Kilgen sued Schneider for gender discrimination, harassment, among other things. Ultimately, the case was settled, and Schneider continued with the Amanda show. Furthermore, workers were overworked by Schneider. He had an inappropriate sense of humor, adding unsettling scenes in the kid’s TV shows that made many actors feel uncomfortable. Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, a writer, storyteller, and producer with over 20 years of experience interviewing celebs, says “If “Quiet on Set” taught me anything, it’s that many of these young stars were not being heard. They did not feel like their mental health and well-being were a concern. I can’t speak for all young celebs of that time, but it seems to me that many were living their childhoods in a bubble where they were voiceless and powerless, and that they couldn’t speak up if they wanted to keep their job.”
The show Drake and Josh was created when Drake Bell and Josh Peck got noticed by network executives while fighting over a piece of shrimp on The Amanda Show. Soon after, the show was released Jan. 11, 2004. Brian Peck, AKA’ Pickle Boy,’ actor, filmmaker, and dialogue coach for Drake Bell, would often follow Bell around while continuously involving himself in Bell’s personal life. Peck’s actions and the manipulation of Bell’s parents brought Peck to be in charge of Bell overall. Suddenly, Peck’s actions altered and heightened, leading to the abuse of Bell. In the end, Peck was arrested in 2003 for the abuse of Bell. A senior at Briar Woods says “As someone who watched a lot of nickelodeon as a kid, it’s shocking to hear the horror stories that are now coming out about the very young actors on the shows. Though at the time I, of course, didn’t notice any of the inappropriate behavior going on between the adults and kids, while rewatching some of the clips being put under scrutiny it’s glaringly obvious that something wasn’t right. It’s heartbreaking to see the last impact that this abuse has left on some of the former actors like Amanda Bynes, and I can only hope that the documentary coming out leads to some good for them”
Leyla James, a junior at Briar Woods, says “It is truly ridiculous and disheartening to find out and hear about what these kids have been put through. I grew up with these shows having the belief that they still had the right to be kids and had their mental and physical health taken care of. I grieve the loss of their childhoods and how they are now forever affected by the ways adults treated them. The manipulation that parents and children endured makes me worry for the child actors of today. I hope that they receive closure and reparations for what they have gone through and that child actor safety laws get stronger. My heart is with all their inner children wishing that they had a better childhood.”
