Investigation Discovery’s new docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV reveals harrowing allegations during uber-producer Dan Schneider’s reign of terror at Nickelodeon.
Schneider was a prolific hitmaker for the kids’ network, creating massively successful shows like iCarly, The Amanda Bynes Show, Drake and Josh, Zoey 101, Victorious, Sam & Cat, and Henry Danger. Schneider is also credited with building the careers of stars like Ariana Grande, Drake Bell, Amanda Bynes, and Kenan Thompson.
***CW: Content Warning. This post discusses child sexual abuse.***
But behind these hit series were allegations of racism, sexism, inappropriate behavior, and child sexual abuse. Schneider parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018 over allegations of abusive behavior, which was long regarded as an open secret in Hollywood. It wasn’t until the Me Too movement took hold that Schneider was quietly ousted.
Sexism in the writers’ room
In the docuseries, women writers on Scheider’s shows allege they were treated differently than their male counterparts. The women were expected to give Schneider massages in the office and were paid less than the male writers.
“Working for Dan was like being in an abusive relationship,” alleged The Amanda Show writer Christy Stratton. Schneider was frequently an intimidating force on set, screaming at employees and fostering a toxic working environment.
“He had fostered this very fun, casual atmosphere, but I felt Dan could be very volatile and could turn any moment. I was scared,” she says in the docuseries. Stratton also claimed that she and fellow TAS writer Jenny Kilgen were forced to work as a team, splitting a single salary between them.
“It was early on that Dan said he didn’t think women were funny,” Stratton said. Kilgen added, “He challenged us to name a funny female writer, and he said this to the writers in the writers’ room.”
“That was my first indication of trouble, that maybe this guy didn’t value women in the writers’ room,” said Kilgen.
Racism and mistreatment on set
In addition to favoring male writers, former cast members alleged that white actors were given preference over Black actors. All That actor Bryan Hearne said that Schneider cultivated close relationships with white actors and Giovonnie Samuels said she felt like the “token Black girl.”
Hearne also discussed a disturbing incident when he was being fitted for a costume to play a baby rapper called “Lil Fetus.”
“Someone said the skin tone should be charcoal. I started to get teary-eyed. That was a moment when I felt, ‘I could go get my mom about this.” But also, I know my mom and I know she would’ve rose hell,” he said.
Hearne also spoke out against an All That segment titled “On Air Dares,” which saw the child actors participate in disturbing challenges. Hearne said he was once covered in peanut butter while dogs licked him clean. Other kids were forced to sit in vats of worms or fish. “We felt like we couldn’t say no,” Hearne said in an interview with PEOPLE. “It was a really uncomfortable situation, and after a while it felt like we were just part of this torture chamber.”
Inappropriate sexual jokes and references
The Amanda Show featured Bynes playing a character named Penelope Taynt, a reference to the “taint” body part and an in-joke. “Dan had said to us in the writers’ room, ‘Don’t tell what this word really means.’ He wanted us to keep that a secret,” Kilgen claimed.
There were also several double entendres and sexual references in series like Victorious and Sam and Cat, which included series star Ariana Grande groping a potato and gross-out splash shots that clearly evoke money shots in pornography.
In a recent apology video interview, Schneider said, “All these jokes that you’re speaking of that the the show covered over the past two nights — every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience, because kids thought they were funny, … Now we have some adults looking back at them 20 years later through their lens, and they’re looking at them and they’re saying ‘You know, I don’t think that’s appropriate for a kids show.’ I have no problem with that. If that’s how anyone feels, let’s cut those jokes out of the show, just like I would have done 20 years ago.”
Drake Bell reveals sexual assault
Drake and Josh star Drake Bell alleged that he was groomed and sexually abused by former dialogue coach and actor Brian Peck (no relation to Josh Peck). Bell says in the documentary that the abuse began when he was 15 years old.
“It just got worse and worse. And worse. And worse,” Bell said. “And I was just trapped. I didn’t — I had no way out. The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal.” Peck was convicted of sexually assaulting a Nickelodeon child actor in 2004. He pleaded no contest to charges and was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Bell, now 37, named himself as the John Doe victim in Brian Peck’s sexual assault case. Bell also names Schneider as one of the only adults who reached out to support him in the aftermath. Peck received letters of support ahead of his trial, with celebrities like James Marsden, Taran Killam, and cast members from Boy Meets World. Marsden and Killam have yet to respond.
Nickelodeon released a statement saying, “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.”
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is currently streaming on ID and Max.
(featured image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
