Former child star Allie DiMeco, who worked for Nickelodeon from 2007-2009, is speaking out amid the allegations made in 'Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV'.
If you've seen the docuseries, you know many actors and actresses came forward, accusing the network, Dan Schneider, and Brian Peck of assault, creating a toxic workplace, abuse, favoritism, among other things.
Following the release and the popularity of the documentary, which is currently streaming on MAX, many other child stars are coming forward to share what their experience working with Nickelodeon was like -- including Allie DiMeco.
Who is Allie DiMeco?
For those who are unaware, Allie Dimeco starred in 'The Naked Brothers Band', which aired on Nickelodeon from 2007-2009.
During the third season, DiMeco’s character, who is a teenager in the show, has a romance with Michel, played by Jake Hertzog. In the episode 'N-ked Idol', Hertzog kisses DiMeco in front of the main character, which stirs up some drama.
After seeing the newly released docuseries, DiMeco took to TikTok as she recalled this scene. “There was an episode where Rosalina ‘cheated’ on Nat and kind of kissed a French guy,” she said in her recently uploaded video, adding that she “did not” want to kiss him.
Allie DiMeco Says She Has PTSD
“He’s a 30-year-old man. I’m sorry, I couldn’t even watch [the clip]. It gives me f-cking the ick and it honestly gives me PTSD,” DiMeco continued as she shared an edited version of the 'Naked Brothers Band' episode.
“I’m watching this 'Quiet on Set' documentary and it’s talking about how integral and vital it is to create — especially when it’s a kid cast — to create an environment where kids feel comfortable to say ‘No’ or ‘I don’t feel comfortable with this'."
Adding, "And I’m like, ‘Yeah, maybe they do express that though, it’s also more important to create an environment that listens to the kids and actually does not make them do things when they don’t want to do them'."
Allie DiMeco Says She Was Forced To Kiss The Man
DiMeco continued, “They made me kiss this 30-plus-year-old man when I was like, what, 14, 15? I told them many times that I didn’t want to do it. My mom was very against it and they pretty much made me feel like I was going to lose my job, that I might be fired if I didn’t do it.”
The former child actress went on to accuse Nickelodeon of creating an environment that was one of “highly nepotism-nepo kids” where “everybody knew each other on the cast, more or less, except for me.”
In the comments section, DiMeco added that "he wasn’t even an actor" and he "was the backup guitarist for live shows and practiced with [the cast] in band practice and always wanted to be written in."
Nickelodeon Allegedly Threatened To Fire Allie DiMeco
In a video posted a few months ago, DiMeco recalled that because her schedule was busy as a child actor, she never had a proper first kiss.
“They threatened me that I would get fired, that I would never work again in this industry, that my career was over,” DiMeco recalled. “There was a female producer who was very upset and looked at me and said, ‘You haven’t had your first kiss yet?’ and grabbed me and kissed me."
"And then she said, ‘There, your first kiss is over. You had your first kiss, now go film.'”
Fans Rally Behind Allie DiMeco
Following the video, DiMeco's fans rallied behind the star in support of her and to thank her for sharing her story.
"Wait WHAT he was HOW OLD?! That is repulsive! I am so sorry! Someone should be held accountable for this," one of her followers commented.
"I always felt SO uncomfy watching the episodes with him because I could tell he was so much older and couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t hire someone younger," another commented, adding, "I'm so sorry that happened to you."
A third, who claims they were an extra on season three of the show, said she remembers "knowing his age and feeling icky about it."
The Blast has reached out to reps for 'The Naked Brothers Band' executive producer Albie Hecht but has not yet heard back.
