MIAMI.- Drake Bell’s statements in the documentary film Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of the Kids TV, de Investigation Discovery, reveal the abuses and sexual assaults of which several former stars of the youth content channel were victims Nickelodeon, between the end of the 90s and the beginning of 2000.
The production that was released on March 17 shows how Dan Schneider, creator and producer of the successful series The Amanda Show, iCarly, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, Victorious, Sam & Cat y All That, promoted inappropriate behavior on recording sets.
The content includes statements from actors, scriptwriters and production staff who were victims or witnesses of abuse.
Drake Bell case
The actor and musician revealed that he suffered sexual abuse from Brian Peck, his dialogue coach when he worked on the series The Amanda Show between 1999 and 2002.
The interpreter recalled that the man became very close to him and created a rift in Bell’s relationship with his father, Drake’s manager and who suspected Peck’s bad intentions.
The interpreter emphasized that Peck managed to isolate him from almost everyone when he began his journey at Nickelodeon and stayed at his house after the auditions to which he accompanied him. “I was sleeping on the couch like always and I woke up. I opened my eyes and there he was, sexually abusing me. I froze and was completely shocked, I had no idea what to do or how to react. I also didn’t know how to get out.” of that situation.”
For a time, Drake remained silent, but the abuse became constant, until he decided to confess everything to his mother.
It was then that they made a report to the police and got the man to confess through a phone call that they recorded. According to information from Variety magazine, the man was arrested in August 2003 and was charged with more than 12 counts related to the abuse of an infant, whose name was not revealed.
The man was registered as a sex offender and sentenced to one year and four months in prison.
Other complaints
The 37-year-old artist is not the only one who has raised his voice to denounce the abuses he experienced in his childhood.
Alexa Nickolas, who played Nicole Bristow on Zoey 101, has been critical of the abusive dynamics that Schneider maintained in the channel’s studio in Orlando, Florida.
The actress explained the rudeness she endured from the crew, including series star Jamie Lynn Spears. She also reported that Schneider forced her to wear clothes that were not correct for her age and when they did a wardrobe fitting, he stayed in the place waiting for her to come out, he made her model the garment and took a photograph, which the man kept.
For his part, Matthew Underwood, also a member of Zoey 101, He spoke about his experience on the program, although he did not do so in the documentary.
“When I was 19, I was sexually harassed and then assaulted by my agent at the time, who had spent a good amount of time building trust in me as a friend and mentor. My trust was betrayed and my self-image was crushed. I reported him to the police. agency and has since been let go, although he is still active in the industry. This experience caused me to move from Los Angeles and ended my pursuit of acting,” he shared.
Jack Salvatore Jr., who played Mark Del Figgalo in Zoey 101 and was a production assistant at Victorious y Sam & Catalso broke the silence away from the cameras Quiet on Set.
We could talk about the massages, we could talk about the fact that he literally counted his collection of gold coins in front of his team who lived paycheck to paycheck. We could talk about how he sometimes pulled out his shotgun to scare one of the writers when they were working at his house. “We could talk about the high-level conversations I wasn’t supposed to hear about how Nickelodeon wouldn’t recommend antidepressants to Jennette McCurdy after her mother died out of fear she would commit suicide and make the network look bad,” he said in a video. posted on Instagram.
Jennette McCurdy, Sam and iCarly y Sam y Cat, does not appear in the documentary either. However, he was one of the first Nickelodeon figures to denounce the abuse in his memoirs. I’m Glad My Mom Died (2022).
In said publication, the actress, writer and filmmaker addressed the mistreatment she received from her mother and emphasized the behavior and abuse she suffered from Dan Schneider, whom she refers to as The Creator. In her line she reveals that the man forced her to give him massages on the set, drink alcohol and photograph her in a bikini.
Allie DiMeco, who played Rosalina in The Naked Brothers Band, He said on his networks that after watching the documentary he remembered unpleasant moments during his time in the series. Specifically, she stated that she was forced to kiss a 30-year-old man.
“I’m 1.50 tall, he’s a 30-year-old man. I couldn’t even see him. Honestly, it gives me PTSD,” he said.
