Former Nickelodeon Stars Who Addressed Quiet on Set's Revelations (2024)

The conversation around the alleged toxic work environment at Nickelodeon may just be getting started.Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which aired in March on Investigation Discovery, covered producer Dan Schneider’s time at the network, with former child stars and crew members recalling their experiences on the sets of various shows including All That and The Amanda Show.Schneider, who parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018, previously denied inappropriate conduct allegations. He has since addressed the allegations made by cast members, The Amanda Show writers and journalists against him in the docuseries.“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult,” Schneider said in a YouTube video interview with iCarly alum BooG!e. “Me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”Schneider noted that he had regrets about his behavior, adding, “I can tell you why it hurts really bad for me. I remember very clearly my early experiences [and] my first experiences in the entertainment business. I was green, I was scared, I was excited. It meant the world to me that I was getting those opportunities and I went in and I got lucky cause they were great. And the fact that I didn’t pay that forward to every employee that walked through my door, it hurts my heart cause I should have. I wish I could go back and fix that.”The producer wasn't the sole focus of the Quiet on Set docuseries. The third and fourth installments specifically focused on Drake Bell breaking his silence about being the minor who accused dialogue coach Brian Peck of sexual abuse in the early 2000s. Peck (who has no relation to Bell's former costar Josh Peck) pleaded no contest to two out of the 11 charges and served a 16-month prison sentence.In a statement released after Quiet on Set's premiere, Nickelodeon addressed Bell's emotional recollection, telling Us Weekly, “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.”Keep scrolling to see the reactions — and new accusations — from former child stars about Quiet on Set and their own time at Nickelodeon:

“I think we had some very special memories and we feel so privileged to have been able to create those roles and be a part of something that was so special for a lot of young kids,” Grande said of her time on Victorious during a June 2024 episode of Penn Badgley’s “Podcrushed” podcast. “I think we’re reprocessing our relationship to it a little bit now.”

Grande stressed that “the environment needs to be made safer” for child actors. “I think there should be therapists, I think there should be parents allowed to be wherever they want to be,” she added. “And I think, not only on kids’ sets. I think if anyone wants to do this or music or anything at the level of exposure that it means to be on TV or to do music with a major label or whatever, there should be in the contract something about, ‘Therapy is mandatory twice a week,’ or ‘thrice a week.’”

The actress also highlighted how many people “don’t have the support that they need to get through performing at that level at such a young age.” Grande said it has been “devastating” to hear the stories of former Nickelodeon stars who have come forward about their negative experiences at the network.

"Something that was very evident in the documentary is that Dan had a very large ego," she told Marie Claire in May 2024. "Sometimes that ego clouded his better judgment and affected the way he treated people, and there were times I felt like I was being treated unfairly."

The actor, who played Logan on Zoey 101, said he “never had a bad experience working on set of a Nickelodeon show” and “never had a bad experience with Dan.”

​​"I have nothing to add to the conversation that anyone would care to hear,” he wrote via Instagram in March 2024 after addressing his own history with sexual abuse. “I like to believe people have the capacity to be better humans and Dan appears to recognize that he had been an asshole in his past. I like to believe he is fully capable of being a creator and coworker everyone can enjoy working with.”

Underwood later clarified that he wasn't trying to defend Schneider after facing backlash.

“I believe people are putting words in my mouth and making assumptions about my intentions with that part of my statement,” he wrote via Reddit that same month. “I know whatever I say will find a way to be twisted by someone, but my attention was unfortunately brought to this thread and I feel it’s necessary to try and clarify.”

He continued: “I feel I might be able to sum up my intentions in that section with an example; I truly wish that even the men who violated me WANTED to be better humans, and if they truly did want that and they made an effort to try to be a better human, I want to live in a world that could positively reinforce that change by offering them opportunities to be that better human being. In that kind of world, hopefully many more people could find fulfillment in being better humans and we might have less perpetuated s–ty behavior. Obviously I wouldn’t want them around children, but no matter what pain is brought upon me, I will always want the world to be a better place and want humans to have a chance to better themselves.”

The actress, who starred on Nick’s Clarissa Explains It All in the '90s, showed her support for those who spoke out in the doc.

“I absolutely trust them, believe them, 100 percent,” Hart said on the "Meghan McCain Has Entered the Chat” podcast in March 2024. “My experience is that I was in Orlando from 1989 to 1994, and I think maybe there was a difference between Orlando Nickelodeon and Hollywood Nickelodeon, although I’m not 100 percent sure on that."

Thompson had an emotional response to the bombshell docuseries during a March 2024 appearance on the Tamron Hall Show.

“[Being on set is] supposed to be a safe space,” he explained. “It’s supposed to be a safe place for kids, and to hear all about that is just like, ‘How dare you?’”

The Saturday Night Live star confessed it was hard for him to watch Quiet on Set but was glad that the former child stars had the platform to tell their story. While Thompson didn’t have an experience like the actors who came forward, his heart went out to the victims and their families.

“It’s definitely tough to watch because I have fond memories of that place and I have fond memories of my costars and stuff like that,” Thompson emotionally admitted. “So to hear that they’ve gone through terrible things like that, it’s just really tough.”

“I finished the Quiet on Set documentary and took a few days to process it,” Josh, who from 2004 to 2007, wrote via Instagram in March 2024. “I reached out to Drake privately, but want to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world.”

He continued: “Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry.”

The actress, who , also issued a statement about his involvement in the docuseries.

"They weren't my real kids, but I'll always love them. It broke my heart into a million pieces to hear just how much Drake was holding inside while we were working together," Sullivan wrote via Instagram in March 2024. "I was both devastated and proud seeing the man he's grown into sit down on camera and bravely tell his truth."

Sullivan praised Bell for finding the courage to speak out, adding, "Past abuse doesn't define us, and it has no right to rule our lives, I know that putting this burden down will free him in so many ways. I hope memories of the joy he had on our shows will someday greatly overshadow the pain. Sending love to Drake for a deep healing and for a rich and beautiful life ahead."

Before Bell's Quiet on Set episodes aired on ID, Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee faced backlash for making jokes about the docuseries. Bell specifically took to social media to slam the trio for their comments during a TikTok live video.

“Ned’s Declassless…this is wild…laugh it up guys…laugh it up," he wrote via X in March 2024. In response, Werkheiser, Shaw and Lee issued a joint apology on their "Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide" show later that month.

“We f—ked up. I get it. We hadn’t seen the doc and everyone was asking us for our opinions on it,” Werkheiser explained about how they had “no clue” about the “magnitude” of abuse Bell suffered before watching Quiet on Set. “Now we have watched it … I get it. If I had just watched — especially that third episode — and then watched us joking like that, I would be like, ‘Are they sociopaths? Is something wrong with them?'”

Shaw, for her part, said she regretted her own “insensitivity” on the topic. “I am sorry,” she added. “I know that even when there wasn’t an intention or malice behind things people have done for me, I know that it has just helped me when people meet me where I am and recognize like, ‘Hey, that was a gut punch, whether it was intentional or not.'”

In March 2024, Salvatore Jr., who played Mark Del Figgalo on Zoey 101 and worked as a production assistant on Victorious and Sam & Cat, candidly addressed the Quiet on Set revelations.

“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 fulfillment. And that can be a very dangerous thing for megalomaniacs to wield. Even in posting this, I’m a little afraid — is this going to screw up my career moving forward? I have no idea, but I think it’s important and it needs to be said," he said in a TikTok video. "Because if my silence ensures the perpetuation of environments I don’t want to work in anymore, then what is the point of working in them? And until [Schneider] goes on 60 Minutes to answer some questions from some real journalists and not some cast member of his who he’s paying to be there: apology not accepted."

The original host of Blue's Clues took a cue from the show and showed support to Nickelodeon fans by asking in a social media video, "Hey, I'm checking in. Tell me what's going on."

After starring in Nickelodeon’s The Naked Brothers Band series from 2007 to 2009, DiMeco discussed her own experience on set.

“I’m stressed. Why? Because I’m watching the Quiet on Set documentary. I had to,” she said in a March 2024 TikTok about her “trauma” as a child star. “My mind’s been wandering to this one — multiple times, and actually multiple episodes. There was an episode where Rosalina cheated on Nat and kissed a French guy. I’m 4’11, he’s a 30 year old man. I couldn’t even watch it. It gave me f—king, the ick. It honestly gives me PTSD.”

Despite being on what she described as "one of the most healthiest sets," DiMeco still recalled being asked to film uncomfortable scenes.

“I’m watching this Quiet on Set documentary and it’s talking about how integral and vital it is, especially when it’s a kids cast, to create an environment where kids feel comfortable to say ‘No’ or ‘I don’t feel comfortable with this.’ And I’m like, yeah, maybe they do express that but 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,” she continued. “Because they made me kiss this 30 plus year old man when I was, what, 14? 15? I told them many times I didn’t want to do it, my mom was very against it, and they just pretty much made me feel like I was gonna lose my job and like, be fired if I didn’t do it. And it was weird.”

In a statement to Us, Nickelodeon previously addressed the allegations made in the docuseries.

“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors 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.”

Frank, who played Taylor Hathaway on The Haunted Hathaways, revealed she was “triggered” after watching the docuseries about Nickelodeon.

“I feel like I need to say something. One of the horrifying things that happened in my experience with Nickelodeon was when Nickelodeon sent computers over to production when we were starting filming the show. And when they were turned on, there was child p*rn on them,” she claimed via Instagram in March 2024. "And nobody was held accountable. There was no investigation, never even found out where it came from or who was responsible for it.”

Frank continued: “It’s beyond heartbreaking to know that a company that was employing children failed miserably at protecting them. So I am sending a lot of love to all of the victims involved, and I hope that we can create a very different environment going forward, for child actors.”

Us Weekly has reached out to Nickelodeon for comment.

"I haven't watched the documentary but I know a lot of actors have come out and said horrific things. I can't talk too much on it because I haven't actually seen it," Booko, who appeared on iCarly, said on Jax Taylor's "When Reality Hits" podcast in April 2024. "It is sick and it is the whole Me Too movement that came out. Things that are kept in the dark will be brought to light at some point, so you better be ready to face the consequences."

According to the Blues Clues alum, there was essentially “no overlap” between Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.

"Nick Jr. and Nickelodeon [departments] were so different," Burns told TODAY.com. "We’re in New York, they’re in LA. There’s no overlap whatsoever between any of those shows and what we were doing."

Burns played Steve on Nick Jr.’s Blues Clues from 1996 to 2002 as part of the morning block of programming geared toward preschoolers.

"I don’t have any particular insight into any of that," Burns said of the allegations brought against the network in Investigation Discovery’s Quiet on Set. "I’m coming to it much the same as anyone else, with horror and heartbreak. It’s just terrible to watch it unfold. I don’t know what else to say, other than that it’s heartbreaking."

Burns further empathized with cast and crew members whose trauma might have resurfaced due to the documentary.

“It’s got to be so unfathomably painful,” he said. “The fact that this is now what everyone’s talking about at the watercooler, it just breaks my heart.”

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