‘Quiet on Set’ documentary exposes child abuse and sexual exploitation at Nickelodeon

A new documentary has exposed the sexual abuse child actors allegedly suffered behind the scenes of Nickelodeon.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV has generated media buzz for featuring interviews with beloved child actors such as Drake Bell.

Bell came forward publicly for the first time in the series, identifying himself as the anonymous minor sexually assaulted by acting coach Brian Peck.

Although Peck pleaded no contest to the charges in 2003, he was sentenced to just 16 months in prison. He was required to register as a sex offender but continued to work in the children’s entertainment industry, even landing a short-term gig with Disney Channel.

In his interview, Bell reacted to the previously sealed letters of support written on behalf of his abuser. 

Roughly 40 notable industry names – including James Marsden, Alan Thicke, and Ron Melendez – claimed Peck was the victim of “jailbait” and had been “pushed and pressured beyond belief” by the young actor “before he caved in.”  

“It was totally re-traumatizing to later get these letters, which I just got last year,” stated Bell. “Every letter I turned, it broke my heart when I would see the name at the end of the letter and go, ‘What? We worked together. I thought that we were friends.’” 

The documentary also details accusations against notorious Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider, who was accused of forcing female employees to share salaries and casting black child actors in racially charged skits. 

Former staff members recalled Schneider asking them to perform massages on him, and one even recounted Schneider pressuring a female employee to mime a sex act as the punchline to a story he told. 

The documentary revisits multiple skits written and produced by Schneider for children that featured young talent – such as eventual superstar Ariana Grande – reading lines or playing out scenes evoking sexual imagery.  

“Facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” Schneider said in response to backlash to the documentary. 

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV will release its fifth and final episode on April 7. According to Investigation Discovery, the true crime network behind the documentary, the first four episodes have been watched by over 16 million viewers since their release on March 17.