The entertainment industry is still reeling from the shocking and disturbing allegations made in the Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
The series featured interviews from former child stars, crew members, and employees who described horrific and toxic working conditions at Nickelodeon during the kids’ channel’s golden age. In addition to allegations of sexism, racism, and harassment, actor Drake Bell revealed that dialogue coach Brian Peck sexually abused him as a child.
In response to damning accusations, many former child stars have spoken out in support of the survivors. Melissa Joan Hart is the latest star to come forward to express her support. Hart, who starred in the iconic Nickelodeon kids series Clarissa Explains It All, appeared on Meghan McCain’s podcast “Meghan McCain Has Entered the Chat”, where she talked about the series and her own experiences working for Nickelodeon.
“No one’s come to me and talked to me about any of these situations,” said Hart. “And that’s not to say anything about anyone’s story — I absolutely trust them, believe them 100% — but my experience was that I was in Orlando from 1989 to 1993 or 1994.” Hart had nothing but good things to say about her time at Nickelodeon, where she filmed her show in Orlando.
“I think maybe there was a difference between Hollywood Nickelodeon and Orlando Nickelodeon,” she said, adding
“In Orlando, I had nothing but a wonderful experience,” Hart added. “We were in Florida, which was a right-to-work state, so they did work the kids a lot harder than they probably legally should — but we had a ton of fun. It was just long hours, that’s all.”
Hart admitted that she hadn’t watched the series, saying “I’ve been trying to figure out how to address it on social [media], but I have not seen the documentary and I think that’s a mistake,” adding, “I need to see the documentary. I keep meaning to, but at night when I go to bed … I’m like, ‘Ehh, Friends.’”
Hart’s comments prove just how easy it is to believe survivors, an exceedingly low bar that many former Nickelodeon stars could not clear. Given that Hart’s experience occurred before Dan Schneider’s reign of terror at the network, it’s unsurprising that her experience differed from younger actors.
(featured image: Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images)
