**This article references sexual abuse. **
When co-directors Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz dove into making Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, an Investigation Discovery docuseries about alleged abuse and exploitation at kids’ network Nickelodeon, they created a list of names.
“We literally put together a spreadsheet,” Schwartz recently told Vanity Fair. “We called everybody we could find on IMDb who had been in crew, who had been in cast, and just people across the industry. You talk to more people and talk to more people. Taking time to build a relationship, to build trust, to get to know people and understand what’s important to them.”
Among those who spoke to the filmmakers was former child star Drake Bell, who, in between roles on Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh, says he suffered sexual abuse at the hands of his vocal coach Brian Peck, whom he met on set. When asked to get into specifics about the abuse, Bell suggested that someone might “think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault – and that’ll answer your question.” In October 2004, Peck was convicted on sexual abuse charges, sentenced to 16 months in prison, and ordered to register as a sex offender.
By sharing his story, Bell joins former Nick stars like Alexa Nikolas (who also appears in the series) and Jennette McCurdy in publicising alleged wrongdoing at the network that gave them their big breaks. The four-part series, which launches into Bell’s account with the final two episodes airing tonight on ID at 9 p.m., has already sparked statements from the likes of Nickelodeon mega-producer Dan Schneider, who is no stranger to toxicity allegations. Ahead, some of the reactions to the bombshell docuseries.
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon previously said in a statement to Vanity Fair that it “investigates all complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace” and that it has “adopted numerous safeguards over the years.” In an additional comment to Deadline, the network directly addressed the abuse allegations made by one of its biggest stars. “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 said in a statement.
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Dan Schneider
The name on nearly every documentary participant’s lips is Dan Schneider, who created a bevy of hit shows for Nickelodeon and faced numerous complaints of a hostile work environment during his tenure. In 2018, Nickelodeon cut business ties with Schneider. In a previous statement, Schneider told Vanity Fair that reports of his abusive behaviour in publications such as Deadline were not to blame for the parting of ways. However, he maintains: “I would absolutely do some things differently. I’ve learned a lot over the years about how to be a better boss.” As for allegations in Quiet on Set about imbuing his children’s shows with subliminal adult sexuality, Schneider also denied those claims. “Everything that happened on the shows I ran was scrutinised by dozens of involved adults,” he said in a statement. “A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes.”
Schneider’s representative offered a similar statement to Variety about the series, adding, “If there was an actual problem with the scenes that some people, now years later are ‘sexualising,’ they would be taken down, but they are not, they are aired constantly all over the world today still, enjoyed by both kids and parents.” The statement also maintained that “every day on every set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching filming and rehearsals,” adding, “Had there been any scenes or outfits that were inappropriate in any way, they would have been flagged and blocked by this multilayered scrutiny. Unfortunately, some adults project their adult minds onto kids’ shows, drawing false conclusions about them.”
In the docuseries, some note Schneider’s habit of asking employees (many of them female) for massages while on set. “Dan deeply regrets asking anyone for neck massages,” his team said in response to Variety. “Though they happened in public settings, he knows this was highly inappropriate and would never happen again.”
Russell Hicks
The network’s former president of content and production referred to Schneider as “one of the most prolific producers of hit television in the kids and family entertainment business,” in his own statement to Variety. “Dan’s shows transcend children’s television and are staples on many streaming platforms today, enjoyed by both kids and their parents,” the statement continued. “Dan cared about the kids on his shows even when sometimes their own families unfortunately did not.” Hicks concluded that “every single thing that Dan ever did on any of his shows was carefully scrutinised and approved by executives at Nickelodeon.”
Amy Berg
Amy Berg, who has gone on to write and produce for shows including Jack Ryan and Law & Order: Organized Crime, reflected on her first Hollywood job—as Schneider’s assistant—in a statement posted to X on Monday. It was a title she held for less than a year before writing and co-executive producing the final seasons of the Nickelodeon series, Kenan & Kel and All That. “During my year with Dan, I wasn’t aware of any physically inappropriate behaviour,” Berg writes. “What I can confirm, however, is that he was a fucking asshole. A psychological tormenter. He introduced me to panic attacks and the stress of working for him caused me to develop a significant heart arrhythmia. I eventually had surgery to [mostly] correct the issue, but by that point I’d lost all of my 20s. He stole those years from me.”
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She concluded her statement, which got into the lasting toll working for Schneider took on her personal life, by noting that she “will not be watching Quiet on Set” because she has “no interest in reliving anything, nor do I want to be in a situation where I’d feel inclined to defend Dan in any way.” A spokesperson for Schneider told The Wrap: “In the challenges of production, Dan could get frustrated at times, and he understands why some employees found that intimidating and stressful.... Dan knows he should have done better and feels awful about anyone who saw him at his worst, instead of his best.”
Will Friedle and Rider Strong
Prior to the docuseries’ release, Boy Meets World cast members Rider Strong and Will Friedle shared on an episode of their recap podcast that they had been asked to provide a statement about Peck, whom they worked with on the series. Instead of contributing to Quiet on the Set, they opted to share their feelings about Peck on their podcast, where Friedle claimed that he was groomed by Peck and that Peck had asked Friedle to support him in court during the case. “We’re sitting in that courtroom on the wrong side of everything,” Friedle said of writing letters of support for Peck and showing up to the court date. “The victim’s mother turned and said, ‘Look at all the famous people you brought with you. And it doesn’t change what you did to my kid.’ I just sat there wanting to die.”
Director Emma Schwartz said in an interview with Us Weekly that it “was interesting to hear that they put out a podcast after our trailer was announced” instead of responding to Schwartz and Robertson for the documentary. “I certainly learned a lot about what they had gone through, how they had seen Brian,” she said of listening to their podcast episode. “It was interesting to see that they were using some of the same language that Drake would use to describe him. Will had also been in the courtroom and he used some of the very same language to describe how many people were there [as Drake did].”
Drake Bell
Bell has made his feelings about Strong and Friedle’s remarks perfectly clear. Underneath an Instagram post shared by Alexa Nikolas, the former Zoey 101 star who also appears in the docuseries, Bell responded to posts that the Boys Meet World stars “were victims too” and “manipulated by [Peck] like anyone else” when “they were minors.” Bell wrote back, “Will was 27 years old and Brian told him what he did many people turned away and said no I won’t write a letter but they did.”
He continued, “Will was not manipulated. Brian admitted it to him and he wrote the letter anyway. Then he worked with me on many many episodes of [the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series] years later and never said a word to me about it. This is because they were [not] told there letters are going to be made public. Everyone thought the letters would be sealed forever and no one would ever see them. This is their publicist telling them how to get ahead of the story.” Friedle did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Robertson told Us Weekly that she and Schwartz still had “a lot of questions” about those who wrote letters of support for Peck. “Those questions are outstanding,” Robertson said. “I think one wonders about the conditions under which they were written, if any pressure was exerted, who asked whom to write which letters and what rationale was offered. So we hope that we learn more in the coming weeks and months.”
For more information about reporting and recovering from rape and sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222.
If you have been sexually assaulted, you can find your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre here. You can also find support at your local GP, voluntary organisations such as Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, and Victim Support, and you can report it to the police (if you choose) here.
This feature originally appeared on Vanity Fair.
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