A new documentary is seeking to bring light to several sexual allegations and bombshells about the treatment of child television stars and the work culture at Nickelodeon from the 1990s through the 2010s.
The four-episode docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, airing on Investigation Discovery, delves into the leadership of Dan Schneider, creator and executive producer of Nickelodeon shows The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, iCarly, and Zoey 101. Schneider was investigated by ViacomCBS, but no evidence of misconduct was found. He parted with Nickelodeon in 2018 as the #MeToo movement was ramping up in Hollywood.
“In a career spanning 30+ years, Dan worked with thousands of people, many of whom still tell him how much they enjoyed and appreciated working on his shows. But he also knows some people did not have a positive experience, and he is truly sorry for that,” a spokesman for Schneider reportedly said.
Jenny Kilgen, a former writer for The Amanda Show, claimed that Schneider showed her pornography on his computer and asked for neck massages.
The docuseries shared details about a Nickelodeon production assistant named Jason Handy, who allegedly sent an 11-year-old child actress naked pictures of himself. Handy was later arrested in 2003 for possession of thousands of sexually explicit images of children. His diary declared that he was a self-described “pedophile” while also talking about how on “a day-to-day basis … how I can find a victim to rape if I have to.”
Another crew member was arrested for child sexual abuse and convicted. Brian Peck, dialogue coach for All That and The Amanda Show, was found to collect pen pal letters and paintings from the serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
Peck convinced the mother of teenage star and The Amanda Show cast member Drake Bell to stay at his home between auditions.
Bell recounted sleeping on the couch and woke up to Peck “sexually assaulting” him.
“I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react. And I had no idea how to get out of the situation. What am I [gonna do], call my mom and be like, ‘Hey, this just happened, can you come pick me up? I’ll just sit here and wait.’ I had no car. I didn’t drive. I was 15 at this time,” Bell said.
Bell’s mother later found out about the abuse and called the police.
“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,” Nickelodeon reportedly said in response to Bell’s case.
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Handy and Peck were not the only accused sexual abusers of children in that era at the children’s channel. Nickelodeon employee Ezel Channel was found guilty of abusing an underage boy on the Burbank lot and had been a longtime registered sex offender.
“I no longer trusted anybody with children in this industry,” the mother of an 11-year-old Nickelodeon child star said in the docuseries.
