Drake Bell Defends Parents of the Abused Stars After ‘Quiet on Set’ Revelations
After the revelations in the Quiet on Set documentary, Drake Bell and some of his Nickelodeon fellow stars gave support against the critics of their parents. Drake, Bryan Hearne, and Giovonnie Samuels defended their parents from people’s questions regarding their responsibilities for the child artists. The question was raised during the panel discussion, after the screening of the documentary in Los Angeles.
At that event, the Drake and Josh star Drake Bell and others discussed the responsibility of parents in the entertainment industry and the improvement regarding Hollywood for child actors.
While speaking about the criticism, Drake said that sometimes parents are learning with their children. Some of them were new to the industry and it was their first job, and sometimes their parents were first time on a set. He also added that parents should step in against the abuse. He continued that it could be difficult for the parents to raise voices against the same authority someone who was experienced.
Bryan and Giovonnie added that there should be a trained person who can manage children and assist in their uncomfortable situations. Giononnie also shared about the Entertainment Community Fund’s Looking Ahead program, which helps young actors to keep safe.
What is Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV about?
Quiet on Set is a documentary series, that features the behind-the-scenes television programs of children between the late 90’s and early 2000’s. In the five-part series, several former stars and crew members from Nickelodeon shared their experiences and allegations regarding sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and racism, which they experienced from the sets of Dan Schneider, the head of the set.
Dan Schneider, the creator of the hit programs The Amanda Show and Drake Josh on Nickelodeon, reacted to the series allegation against him. In a conversation with iCarly’s BooG!e, he said that his past behavior was embarrassing and regretful, and owes a strong apology to some people.
Drake Bell shared his story in the docuseries, in which he faced abuse from his former dialogue coach, Brian Peck, and was convicted of sexual assault to a child actor in Nickelodeon in 2004. He added that the abuse got worse and worse.
Josh Peck posted on Instagram, that he gave support to the survivors, who were ready to share their story to the world bravely about the emotional and physical abuse on the sets of Nickelodeon.
Some of the former Nickelodeon stars also came forward and opened up about their experiences. After the release of the docuseries, Nickelodeon released a statement regarding Drake Bell’s revelation, they said it was saddened to hear about the trauma he faced and they would give him the support and strength that need him to come forward.