Warning: This article discusses sexual abuse.
The American kids TV industry was thrown into a tailspin in March upon the US release of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids Television.
The four-part documentary featured interviews with multiple former Nickelodeon child stars and employees who shared the unsavoury and sometimes illegal practices that were rife on the set of Dan Schneider productions such as iCarly, Zoey 101, All That and Drake & Josh.
Among the heart-wrenching testimony was Drake & Josh star Drake Bell sharing, for the first time, that he was sexually abused by Brian Peck (no relation to co-star Josh Peck), a dialogue coach who worked on multiple Schneider productions.
What has Dan Schneider said?
Two days after the series premiered, Schneider broke his silence by posting a 19-minute interview to YouTube.
His interviewer, iCarly cast member BooG!e, claimed in the video he reached out to Schneider to ask if he wanted to address the allegations.
Schneider, who has kept a low-profile since going on "hiatus" in 2021, apologised for the behaviours exposed in the documentary, starting with allegations that he would pressure employees for massages.
"It was wrong I ever put anyone in that position," Schneider said, adding that he would "never" do it today.
In response to allegations of creating a hostile work environment, particularly for women writers on his shows, Schneider said he "made practical jokes that went too far" because he was "immature" and "inexperienced".
"Wouldn't happen today, but I'm just really sorry it happened," he said.
Multiple former cast members who were interviewed for Quiet on Set expressed their disgust at the amount of perceived sexual innuendos in Schneider's shows.
In the apology video, Schneider maintained that the jokes were intended for a young audience and that no higher-ups or executives expressed any concern at the time.
"If anybody had said anything [like], 'Hey, we don't like that, that's not appropriate,' it would have been cut out," he said.
What has Nickelodeon said?
At multiple times throughout Quiet on Set, Nickelodeon responds to the allegations on screen with text responses.
The network also released a statement after the documentary was released.
"Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviours from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct, " the statement read.
"Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."
The company also responded directly to Bell's revelations that he had been abused by Brian Peck while he was a Nickelodeon employee.
"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," the statement read.
What has Drake Bell said?
Bell has now conducted his first interview post-Quiet on Set, where he admonished Nickelodeon's response.
"There's a very well-tailored response saying, 'learning about his trauma', because they couldn't say that they didn't know about this or what had happened, or anything," Bell said on The Sarah Fraser Show.
"I find it pretty empty, their responses, because, I mean, they still show our shows, they still put our shows on. And I have to pay for my own therapy.
"If there was any truth behind them actually caring, there would be something more than quotes on a page by obviously a legal representative telling them exactly how to tailor a response."
Former Nickelodeon stars, including Bell's on-screen mother Nancy Sullivan, have made public statements in support of Bell.
What have former cast members said?
Josh Peck
After Quiet on Set's premiere, all eyes were on Josh Peck (no relation to Brian Peck), Bell's Drake & Josh co-star of four seasons.
On March 21, Josh Peck released a statement via Instagram saying he had reached out to Bell privately and commending others in the documentary for speaking out.
"Revealing this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to the industry," he said.
Social media users jumped on one of Peck's recent posts as proof that he didn't support Bell, prompting Bell to address the situation via TikTok.
"I've noticed a lot of comments on some of Josh's TikToks and some of his posts," Bell said in the video. "I just want to let you guys know that … processing this and going through this is a really emotional time. A lot of it's very, very difficult, so not everything is put out to the public.
"But I just wanted to let you guys know that [Josh] has reached out to me and it's been very sensitive … He has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this and he's been really, really great."
Alexa Nikolas
Former Zoey 101 cast member Alexa Nikolas, who featured prominently in Quiet on Set and is a frequent campaigner for better conditions for child actors, released a YouTube video reacting to Schneider's apology.
"I'm sorry, him centring what he feels is bizarre to me," Nikolas said in the 49-minute video.
"I'm going to cut to the chase here: you don't feel anything, Dan. You have no idea what accountability is. You're searching for it, maybe, but you haven't landed on it. That's for sure. This is not the way."
Jack Salvatore Jr
Salvatore Jr was a child actor on Zoey 101 and later worked in the writers' room on Schneider shows like Sam & Cat and Victorious.
After Quiet on Set was broadcast, he took to Instagram to share his experience in the Schneider-verse.
"We could talk about the fact that [Dan Schneider] would literally count his gold coin collection in front of his crew who was living pay cheque to pay cheque. We could talk about how sometimes he would bring out his shotgun to scare one of the writers when they were working at his house," Salvatore Jr said.
"But what I do want to talk about is never letting this stuff happen again. This is an entire industry built on hope and dreams and adrenaline and wish fulfilment, and that can be a very dangerous thing for megalomaniacs to wield."
In the video, Salvatore acknowledged that sharing could harm his career, but it was more important for him to help speak out about the industry.
He also did not accept Schneider's apology video.
"Until [Schneider] goes on 60 Minutes to answer some questions from some real journalists and not a cast member of his that he's paying to be there…apology not accepted."
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV is on ID, Binge and Fetch from April 5.