As a Gen Z and born in 2000’s I grew up and loved Nickelodeon and Disney. I didn’t realise until watching this docuseries the abuses of power against children were behind the scenes.
In the documentary you are warned that if you were a child in the 90’s this is going to ruin that for you. As the revelations continue it becomes clear that the set was a toxic and unsafe environment for the children and alike. My memories are forever tainted.
In the last decade the magic of Tinseltown has lost much of its glamour as the MeToo movement and exposure of abuses in the entertainment industry has gathered momentum.
MIRAMAX boss Harvey Epstein and comedy legend Bill Cosby are just two examples of powerful Hollywood figures whose downfalls were the result of brave whistle-blowers exposing the abuses they suffered at the hands of unaccountable men in positions of power.
Quiet-on–Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is a four-part documentary on Discovery+ which can be added to the lexicon of disturbing revelations as it explores what really goes on behind the scenes in the world of kids TV. It focuses on the rise in the 1990’s of the cable channel NICKELODEON which exploded onto the scene with its anarchic programmes that won huge audiences in the USA and around the world.
Many of the shows were written and produced by the all-powerful Dan Schneider, whose abuses of staff and child performers increased as the channel became more popular, and checks on his capricious management and dubious sketch writing went unchecked.
In the introduction we see disturbing footage of underage stars such as Ariana Grande in overtly sexualised situations involving holding phallic objects or having goo or other liquids squirted on their faces. This was uncomfortable viewing and one wonders in amazement that NICKELODEON bosses allowed this material to be aired as in many scenes the actors look like they don’t want to be there.
As this important documentary shows unfortunately this is just the tip of the ice-berg.
The programme begins with how the rise of NICKELODEON in the early 90’s (Disney followed its rivals in the 2000’s and it will be interesting if any revelations come out from the child stars there) coincides with its ‘golden boy’ Dan Schneider creating shows such as ALL THAT that were unbelievably successful for them.
At first, child actor himself Schneider was a driven but fun-loving writer producer, but as success followed success his treatment and welfare towards his staff and child stars evolved into bullying, sexism and intimidation in the form of threats of sackings or in the case of the kids not being hired for future seasons.
It is the creepy sexualised nature of many episodes that stand out and Schneider wrote many of these himself.
As Liz Feldman who worked on ALL THAT in 2018 tweeted,
“I worked for Schneider 25 years ago. I can confirm inappropriate behaviour was happening even then. (References to porn and squirting goo onto underaged female actors. Girls’ bare feet were a recurring theme and, on a few occasions, Ariana Grande pretended to milk a potato with two hands.”
The boy actors too were exploited. For example, they were made to wear skin tight leotards that didn’t leave much to the imagination and made them feel very vulnerable.
Nickelodeon women writers also stated that it was being like in an abusive relationship and that the man running it made sure that they felt insignificant. They would plough them with sexist jokes and dares, underpay them and threaten them with sackings if they asked for a day off. Schneider also asked for daily massages from the female staff.
Events however take an even darker turn when it is revealed that paedophiles were working on many of the programmes and were left unchecked in their access to children.
Although the law says that parents must be on set at all times, it seems that this was sometimes discouraged and abusers were left to integrate themselves into the lives of children who should have been protected.
Brandi was an extra on the set on the Amanda show. Jason Handy (production assistant) who looked after the child actors exchanged phone numbers and emails with her and groomed her with promises of future roles. Jason eventually emailed her with a picture of himself naked masturbating and he said he was thinking of her. Her mother found out and he was prosecuted.
With Brian Peck the dangers become even more apparent as child star Drake Bell relates the horrific assaults, he received from voice coach and all round “nice-guy” Peck. This predator insinuated himself into the young superstar’s life, separated him from his manager-dad then sexually abused him continually until the 15-year-old finally reported him.
Prison awaited Peck, even if many entertainment figures defended him with the idea that he had given in to temptation!!
This perhaps highlights the real problem with kids TV. These young performers are often the main earner in their households thus bearing great responsibility for their families. This leaves them vulnerable to being exploited by adults with enticements or threats all under the guise of furthering or ending their careers.
What I like About You star Amanda Bynes is the perfect example. Discovered by Schneider, she rose to immense fame but the pressures of fame while becoming a young woman left her very exposed emotionally. As with Bell she divorced her parents as managers as she relied on industry figures to guide her. But did they really have her well-being in mind or was she just a commodity to be used until no longer wanted.
This seems to be a major issue as the now adult child actors reveal the fears of losing their status as stars as they grow older and lose their audience. The damning revelation is that there is not enough counselling, mentoring, nurturing and safeguarding for let us not forget, children.
As the show makes clear, if child actors are not protected then it is going to turn into chaos leaving them open to exploitation.
DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW. VITAL VIEWING.
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