Nightmares on Nickelodeon
Lights. Camera. Action. With the release of the docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV”, Dan Schneider – Nickelodeon’s “Golden Boy” – has been publicly revealed as the black sheep. The series includes accounts from former writers, crew members and child actors who all attest to the toxic culture behind the scenes of popular 1990s and 2000s children’s shows, cultivated by infamous producer and screenwriter, Schneider. The sites of nostalgic TV shows were constant hell and torture for these stars who gave up their childhood to make these hits.
A former writer for “The Amanda Show,” Jenny Kilgen, likened working for Schneider to being in an abusive relationship. Despite having similar skill sets to their male counterparts, Kilgen and her only other female coworker, Christy Stratton, were forced to split a single wage. They were also pressured into performing sexual acts in front of other staff members and yelling self-deprecating statements solely for Schneider’s amusement (ScreenRant). This abuse did not stop with coworkers, even being extended to child stars on Schneider’s shows. While filming, child stars were forced to interact with objects that resembled inappropriate body parts, forced to film scenes in positions that could be seen as sexual and forced to submit to Schneider’s obsession with their feet. There is a clip from “Victorious” where 16-year-old Ariana Grande, who played “Cat,” was instructed to “juice a potato,” which produced a very phallic image. It is unacceptable for a children’s show to be in possession of such an excess of sexual innuendos and “jokes.” Schneider recently apologized for his past behavior in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, but is he sorry for what he did or just sorry that he was exposed?
While adult actors like Jerry Trainor on “iCarly” did try to physically and verbally shield their younger castmates from Schneider’s inappropriate conduct, it is incredibly disheartening they had to protect them in the first place. It is of utmost importance that more in depth screenings are implemented surrounding child actors regarding who gets to work with them, and stronger regulations for the content they are performing.
One of the most shocking reveals that came out of the documentary series was the sexual abuse that former child actor Drake Bell endured at the hands of his dialogue coach, Brian Peck. Peck had integrated himself into Bell’s life, quickly starting to drive him to and from rehearsals and auditions, even occasionally having Bell stay overnight at his house. Establishing himself as a trustworthy adult, Peck had begun grooming Bell. Although largely covered up by Nickelodeon officials, some adults did call out this behavior, but their pleas were dismissed or flat out ignored. In fact, Bell’s father went to speak to executives about his suspicions and was told that he was being “homophobic” and that it was simply the way Peck was (Today). Bell recounts waking up at Peck’s house night after night while Peck was actively assaulting him. Peck ended up serving just 16 months in jail, nothing compared to the trauma Bell endured. Even after he served this time and registered as a sex offender, he was hired by Disney for “Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” How sick must these television executives be to hire a convicted child predator onto another children’s show? The level of carelessness to have adults convicted and registered for sexual crimes against children on a set revolving around children is truly unfathomable. The child entertainment industry has long held a history of negligence and thoughtlessness that is simply unacceptable. The crew and staff of sets need to be continuously monitored and parents should stay more vigilant. It is not as if these assaulters were perfectly masked — multiple red flags were noticed by people that resulted in a failure to take action. An indication of Peck’s ill intent should have been him being a long-time admirer and pen pal of American serial killer John Wayne Gacy, notorious for raping, torturing and murdering at least 33 young boys in the 1970s. This was extremely alarming but nobody spoke up because they were too afraid of being blacklisted in the industry. A majority of these stars only focus on their own success within the industry, so it does not matter if someone’s life is being destroyed or taken advantage of, others will keep quiet so that they are not next. The entertainment industry must rebuild itself on stricter regulations and guidelines to ensure the comfort and safety of its stars before society abandons them like they abandoned Bell and Amanda Bynes.
