Were you born at the turn of the 20th century? If so, you certainly happened to watch Nickelodeon series – funny productions, remembered with a smile on your face. The actors talk about that period in a completely different way: harassment, torture, violence, paedophilia. Learn about the station’s shocking past – here is the Nickelodeon scandal without censorship.
Warning: the article touches on paedophilia and abuse of minors. If such topics make you feel uneasy, please refrain from reading further.
‘Drake and Josh’, “iCarly”, “Amanda Show”, “Zoey 101”, ’Victoria Means Victory’ – are just a handful of the world-famous Nickelodeon series. Productions that millennials and people from Generation Z grew up on. Funny skits, young Hollywood stars, an idealised image of teenage life in the USA – all of this attracted people in front of their TV sets.
The reality on set, however, was quite different. The underage actors were living a nightmare. Some of them were bullied and forced to shoot embarrassing scenes, others were molested – sometimes in a brutal way.
After the shocking testimonies of the victims came to light, it turns out that the close-ups of feet or the caricatured silhouettes of some of the characters were not just an unusual element of humour. This is the tip of the iceberg known to us today as the ‘Nickelodeon Scandal’
‘Quiet on Set’ – the shocking production that unleashed a scandal
Paedophilia in the film industry has been a topic in the media for years. However, the appearance of the documentary ‘Silence on the Set’ online has shocked Hollywood far more than many recent scandals and sex scandals. The four-episode production aired in March 2024 and exposes many shocking details surrounding the popular Nickelodeon station.
– Be warned! If you’re a child of the 1990s, this will destroy your memories – rightly so, viewers of the series are told at the very beginning. This is because the documentary is about characters and titles that are not unfamiliar to most young people.
Drake Bell and Brian Peck – one of Nickelodeon’s most famous scandals
One of the main storylines is that of Drake Bell – star of productions such as ‘Drake and Josh’ and ‘Frenzy for Amanda’.
The now 38-year-old actor admits in the documentary that he was the victim of sexual harassment during his Nickelodeon adventure.
Bell revealed that his father, who is his manager, was suspicious of the coach from the beginning. However, this was perceived in the industry as a nudge towards Peck, who has declared himself openly gay. The young actor therefore broke off relations with his father, entrusting his responsibilities to his mother. The latter had no objection to her son staying overnight with Peck. Then the nightmare began.
Bell recounted that the first time he was raped was when he was sleeping on the sofa at the coach’s house. He didn’t know how to react, he was terrified. – That morning everything changed,’ he recalls. – It got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse. He was just trapped. It started to get really brutal.
The producers of the series ‘Quiet on Set: the dark side of children’s television’ asked the actor for details. He replied: – I have no idea how to describe in front of the cameras. Imagine the worst thing someone can do to someone in the context of sexual assault, and that will answer your question.
The powerlessness against sexual abusers was vividly confirmed by the fact that Brian Peck, after serving his short sentence, returned to work with children. In his later years, he was, among other things, a voiceover artist for the well-known series Suite Life: There’s Nothing Like a Ship.
The now 38-year-old actor admits in the documentary that he was the victim of sexual harassment during his Nickelodeon adventure.
Bell revealed that his father, who is his manager, was suspicious of the coach from the beginning. However, this was perceived in the industry as a nudge towards Peck, who has declared himself openly gay. The young actor therefore broke off relations with his father, entrusting his responsibilities to his mother. The latter had no objection to her son staying overnight with Peck. Then the nightmare began.
Bell recounted that the first time he was raped was when he was sleeping on the sofa at the coach’s house. He didn’t know how to react, he was terrified. – That morning everything changed,’ he recalls. – It got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse. He was just trapped. It started to get really brutal.
The producers of the series ‘Quiet on Set: the dark side of children’s television’ asked the actor for details. He replied: – I have no idea how to describe in front of the cameras. Imagine the worst thing someone can do to someone in the context of sexual assault, and that will answer your question.
The powerlessness against sexual abusers was vividly confirmed by the fact that Brian Peck, after serving his short sentence, returned to work with children. In his later years, he was, among other things, a voiceover artist for the well-known series Suite Life: There’s Nothing Like a Ship.
Dan Schneider – the ‘emotionally unstable’ creator of iCarly
– Dan could be unstable, changing at every moment. I was afraid of him,’ recalled screenwriter Christy Stratton years later, adding: – For Dan, the job was like being in a violent relationship.
Editor Karyn Finely Thomson, collaboration, working with Dan Schneider, cited another gut-wrenching situation. As a result of stress and exhaustion from work, she fainted on set. At the hospital, she did not hear words of concern from him, but the question ‘How the hell are we going to finish recording the show?’.
Dan Schneider, executive producer and writer, was one of the leading figures at the Nickelodeon station. The most popular series, such as ‘Zoey 101’, ‘Frenzy for Amanda’, ‘iCarly’ or ‘Victoria Means Victory’, were productions by him.
Jennette McCurdy – Nickelodeon destroyed her childhood
Years later, many shocking details came to light about his attitude towards underage stars. Jennette McCurdy, known for ‘iCarly’ and ‘Sam and Cat’, among others, has spoken out most loudly on the subject. The now 32-year-old actress is the author of the acclaimed autobiography, ‘I’m glad my mum died’. The book recounts not only the nightmare of working with Nickelodeon, but also her difficult relationship with her mother.
McCurdy became an actress precisely at her request. The woman forced her daughter to work out and lose weight, which caused her to have eating problems. What kind of character in iCarly did Schneider create for her? A rebellious, confused, gross teenage girl who struggles with an eating disorder, and on top of that doesn’t keep in touch with her alcoholic mother.
Quite an original idea for a character, especially in a children’s series….
Jennette wrote frequently about the ‘Creator’ in her book, probably referring to Schneider. She mentioned that many people were afraid of him and did not refuse him, because he threatened to destroy their lives. ‘The ‘Creator’ allegedly took her out to dinner one night, touched her on the thigh and insisted that she drink alcohol. – I wanted to do something. To tell me to stop, but I was so scared,’ she confesses.
Paedophilia and molestation on Nickelodeon – massages, bare feet and pretend sex
Although, when we watched Schneider’s series in our youth, we didn’t pay attention to many details, years later, disturbing scenes can be spotted. Here are some of them:
- Zoey 101 – in one passage, a tube of ooze shoots into the character’s face; the producers were said to be ‘ejaculating sperm’, actress Alexa Nikolas recalled years later
- Victoria means victory – Ariana Grande, who plays Ariana Grande in the series, sucks her toes, tars and spills water on herself and massages a potato in an ambiguous way.
- iCarly – multiple close-ups of young actresses’ feet, scenes with scantily clad heroines.
These are just some of the disturbing shots in Nickelodeon programmes – much more was going on behind the scenes. Dan Schneider was said to regularly ask underage girls for massages. He often threw ambiguous texts at them and came up with increasingly inappropriate ideas for scenes. In addition, he asked one of the script writers to write a scene as if she had just had sex.
Nickelodeon scandal also includes dozens of other dramas
The cases mentioned above are not the only stories of bullied and sexually harassed teenagers. Schneider’s relationship with Amanda Bynes – the main character in ‘Frenzy on Amanda’ – has been the subject of much publicity. The documentary ‘Quiet on Set’ published footage of the actress, 20 years younger, in a skimpy swimsuit, sitting in a jacuzzi with her producer.
In the early 2000s, there were more people working at Nickelodeon who were later accused of paedophilia. This included Jason Hardy , a production assistant who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2004 for molesting two underage actresses and possessing child pornography. To another of Nickelodeon’s young stars, he sent nude photos of himself – the girl was 11 years old at the time.
300 000 USD for silence
Dan Schneider and his attorneys released a statement shortly after the premiere of the series ‘Quiet on Set’. – ‘While Dan did not have the best relationship with all of the young actors, […] it is not true or in any way okay to suggest that his relationship with any of the actors was in any way inappropriate […],’ read the contents of an email sent to Teen Vogue by Schneider’s representative.
In turn, the person concerned defended himself , saying: – The series showed the mistakes I made […] during my time at Nickelodeon. A job that took place many years ago at the beginning of my career as a producer. There is no doubt in my mind that I was a bad leader at times. I sincerely apologise for this, I regret my behaviour and I take responsibility for it.
Nevertheless, Schneider has announced that he will file a defamation lawsuit. However, it is hard to believe in the producer’s complete innocence when, after Jennette McCurdy ended her relationship with the station, the station offered her as much as $300,000 for her silence. The actress did not accept the offer.
Summary
Nickelodeon series were a big part of childhood for many people. However, being aware of the nightmare that young actors faced on a daily basis strongly changes one’s perspective on the productions of Disney Channel’s competitor. It is only now that we have grown up and learnt about the shocking confessions of the stars that it becomes apparent that the uneasiness that accompanied us when watching certain scenes was not unfounded.
Nickelodeon paedophile scandal – FAQ
Are you interested in the topic of scandals on children’s television stations? Find out the answers to the most frequently asked questions!
What happened to Nickelodeon?
The scandal concerns sexual harassment and violence against young actors. Stars of series such as ‘iCarly’, ‘Drake and Josh’, and ‘Victoria Means Victory’ were oppressed, intimidated and forced to act in embarrassing scenes. Some fell victim to paedophiles working at the station.
What did Dan Schneider do?
Dan Schneider was the producer and writer of Nickelodeon’s most popular series. He allegedly bullied and harassed young actors. In addition, he forced underage girls to give him massages and directed ambiguous texts towards them. Schneider’s series were full of inappropriate, embarrassing scenes for the young stars.
What did Jennette McCurdy’s mother do?
Jennette McCurdy’s mother forced her to be an actress and lose weight, despite her knowledge of inappropriate events on set. This caused her daughter to develop a mental disorder. McCurdy described her relationship with her mother in the acclaimed book I’m Glad My Mother Died.
What’s the deal with Drake Bell?
Drake Bell, star of the TV series Drake and Josh, among others, was sexually harassed by Brian Peck, a speech coach working at Nickelodeon at the time. Bell confessed this in the high-profile series ‘Silence on the Set’, describing peadophile scandals at the station.