We all have shows from our childhood that we love. Each character is written strategically to keep a young audience hooked. But what about the actors behind the characters? After the release of the “Quiet on Set” documentary, it revealed a dark side to kids’ TV. There is a concerning pattern with childhood stars facing problems that stay behind the scenes that should be brought to light. When contemplating the person responsible for it all, all fingers point to one person: Dan Schneider.
Dan Schneider joined Nickelodeon in 1993 as a writer and producer and promptly played a pivotal role in the development of hit shows we know today such as Drake and Josh, iCarly, and Victorious. However, the show that propelled his career from the start in 1999 was The Amanda Show. The show was a live-action sketch comedy spin-off of All That, released in 1994 and created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin, the show followed a young cast that performed musicals and parodies of pop-culture moments.
The spin-off show featuring Amanda Bynes was closely similar, the only difference being Amanda as the main character. During her time on set, she closely worked with Dan Schneider, especially as she sought his help in getting emancipated from her parents. This created a rift between Amanda’s parents and Schneider, only intensifying her on-set experience. This was the beginning of the rocky relationship Amanda would come to have with Dan.
With the drastic difference in Amanda’s appearance now and when she was actively in the film industry, fans believe she suffered a severe mental health crisis from the moment she left to now, resulting in her leaving the film industry altogether in 2010 due to severe body image issues that could have originated from her experience working with Nickelodeon. Though The Amanda Show was received positively during the time it was still streaming, the show was canceled in 2002, only 3 years after its original release due to numerous allegations against Schneider. This included salary discrimination, sexism, inappropriate behavior, and sexual abuse on set.
With this news only coming to light after the release of Quiet on Set, the documentary revealed that people who formerly worked with Schneider on The Amanda Show stated how he and Amanda had an odd relationship that was too close for comfort, seeming more intimate than normal. The documentary included footage of a young Amanda giving Schneider neck massages and sitting closely to Dan in a hot tub, all while being 13 years old. While these workers admit their relationship was strange, it seems that no one at the time attempted to hold Dan accountable for his weird behavior.
Following the cancellation of The Amanda Show came the next big thing: Drake and Josh. The show starred Drake Bell and Josh Peck acting as 2 step-brothers and their spunky younger sister played by Miranda Cosgrove. The show first aired in 2004 reaching an audience of 3.2 million viewers upon release, which was Nickelodeon’s highest rated premiere for a show in nearly 10 years. Drake and Josh was a hit, however that same year another traumatic experience happened on set. In 2024 Drake Bell revealed that he was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of dialogue coach Brian Peck. Brian Peck worked closely with numerous child stars since the late 90s and early 2000s while working on sets such as All That, The Amanda Show, and Drake and Josh before his conviction in 2003 on 11 charges of sexual abuse.
When this news first came to light, the industry heavily sided with Peck, leaving Drake feeling dismissed. After 16 months, Peck was released from jail in 2005 and even continued working in the television industry with Disney on the set of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. This can only show how the industry protects abusers against child stars to prioritize their own agenda.
Similarly, this toxicity carried over to more Nickelodeon sets like iCarly and Victorious, both run and directed by Dan Schneider. iCarly and Sam and Cat star Jennette McCurdy who worked with Nickelodeon for 7 years from 2007-2014, with her role as Sam in iCarly coming to an end in 2012 and rebooting in 2013 for the spin-off show Sam and Cat. In her published book I’m Glad My Mom Died released in 2022, she recounts her experience working with Dan Schneider, detailing the abusive environment she worked in where she was treated unfairly and got pressured into inappropriate behavior.
In Jennette’s book, she goes into further detail about the mistreatment and discomfort she faced on set. She states how Dan pressured her into underage drinking to maintain a certain physique while filming and coerced her into giving him inappropriate massages, much like Amanda. After Sam and Cat wrapped, she was offered $300,000 as hush money to keep quiet about what transpired on set. She even comes to criticize the morality of it all, questioning why no one attempted to report the ethical standards that were implemented by Schneider.
In 2010, only a couple years after the initial release of iCarly, the next big show premiered amassing 5.7 million viewers, performing even better than Drake and Josh. That show was Victorious, a show that followed the main character Tori Vega and her sister Trina (played by Daniella Monet) who was a high schooler played by Victoria Justice and her experience attending Hollywood Arts. The show was received tremendously well, winning “favorite TV show” at the Kids’ Choice Awards in 2012 and 2013 over iCarly. However, not long after its big success came its downfall.
The show started to receive backlash after its viewers began noticing scenes that seemed unsuitable for its preteen audience. Daniella Monet reported multiple times feeling sexualized, and added how directors would refuse to cut the scenes, despite her pushback. Likewise, Ariana Grande who played Cat Valentine was put in various situations where she made adult jokes and was put into suggestive scenes. On YouTube there are even videos dedicated to these parts of the show, with video titles such as “Ariana Grande being sexualized on Victorious for 2 minutes straight” and “Top 10 adult jokes on Victorious you missed.”
Victorious featured a segment of the show titled “Cat’s Random Thoughts” which was dedicated to Cat doing random acts and speaking on random subjects on a fictional website from the show, TheSlap.com. For example, one scene in particular features Cat squeezing a potato attempting to “get milk from it” which people claim was unnecessary and indirectly fetish content.
Still, it seems that no one is seeing the bigger picture. It’s not just Nickelodeon, there are multiple kids shows and movies featuring sexualization of young stars which lead viewers to wonder who the real target audience is supposed to be. The core issue is that no one around them seems to prevent this or force the people responsible to take accountability.
Ariana Grande, Jennette McCurdy, Drake Bell, Amanda Bynes, Daniella Monet, Victoria Justice, and so many more names come up when thinking of the darkness that transpired on Nickelodeon sets. However, this pattern goes beyond just one industry, and it’s a troubling matter that should be talked about more.We all have shows from our childhood that we love. Each character is written strategically to keep a young audience hooked. But what about the actors behind the characters? After the release of the “Quiet on Set” documentary, it revealed a dark side to kids’ TV. There is a concerning pattern with childhood stars facing problems that stay behind the scenes that should be brought to light. When contemplating the person responsible for it all, all fingers point to one person: Dan Schneider.
Dan Schneider joined Nickelodeon in 1993 as a writer and producer and promptly played a pivotal role in the development of hit shows we know today such as Drake and Josh, iCarly, and Victorious. However, the show that propelled his career from the start in 1999 was The Amanda Show. The show was a live-action sketch comedy spin-off of All That, released in 1994 and created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin, the show followed a young cast that performed musicals and parodies of pop-culture moments.
The spin-off show featuring Amanda Bynes was closely similar, the only difference being Amanda as the main character. During her time on set, she closely worked with Dan Schneider, especially as she sought his help in getting emancipated from her parents. This created a rift between Amanda’s parents and Schneider, only intensifying her on-set experience. This was the beginning of the rocky relationship Amanda would come to have with Dan.
With the drastic difference in Amanda’s appearance now and when she was actively in the film industry, fans believe she suffered a severe mental health crisis from the moment she left to now, resulting in her leaving the film industry altogether in 2010 due to severe body image issues that could have originated from her experience working with Nickelodeon. Though The Amanda Show was received positively during the time it was still streaming, the show was canceled in 2002, only 3 years after its original release due to numerous allegations against Schneider. This included salary discrimination, sexism, inappropriate behavior, and sexual abuse on set.
With this news only coming to light after the release of Quiet on Set, the documentary revealed that people who formerly worked with Schneider on The Amanda Show stated how he and Amanda had an odd relationship that was too close for comfort, seeming more intimate than normal. The documentary included footage of a young Amanda giving Schneider neck massages and sitting closely to Dan in a hot tub, all while being 13 years old. While these workers admit their relationship was strange, it seems that no one at the time attempted to hold Dan accountable for his weird behavior.
Following the cancellation of The Amanda Show came the next big thing: Drake and Josh. The show starred Drake Bell and Josh Peck acting as 2 step-brothers and their spunky younger sister played by Miranda Cosgrove. The show first aired in 2004 reaching an audience of 3.2 million viewers upon release, which was Nickelodeon’s highest rated premiere for a show in nearly 10 years. Drake and Josh was a hit, however that same year another traumatic experience happened on set. In 2024 Drake Bell revealed that he was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of dialogue coach Brian Peck. Brian Peck worked closely with numerous child stars since the late 90s and early 2000s while working on sets such as All That, The Amanda Show, and Drake and Josh before his conviction in 2003 on 11 charges of sexual abuse.
When this news first came to light, the industry heavily sided with Peck, leaving Drake feeling dismissed. After 16 months, Peck was released from jail in 2005 and even continued working in the television industry with Disney on the set of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. This can only show how the industry protects abusers against child stars to prioritize their own agenda.
Similarly, this toxicity carried over to more Nickelodeon sets like iCarly and Victorious, both run and directed by Dan Schneider. iCarly and Sam and Cat star Jennette McCurdy who worked with Nickelodeon for 7 years from 2007-2014, with her role as Sam in iCarly coming to an end in 2012 and rebooting in 2013 for the spin-off show Sam and Cat. In her published book I’m Glad My Mom Died released in 2022, she recounts her experience working with Dan Schneider, detailing the abusive environment she worked in where she was treated unfairly and got pressured into inappropriate behavior.
In Jennette’s book, she goes into further detail about the mistreatment and discomfort she faced on set. She states how Dan pressured her into underage drinking to maintain a certain physique while filming and coerced her into giving him inappropriate massages, much like Amanda. After Sam and Cat wrapped, she was offered $300,000 as hush money to keep quiet about what transpired on set. She even comes to criticize the morality of it all, questioning why no one attempted to report the ethical standards that were implemented by Schneider.
In 2010, only a couple years after the initial release of iCarly, the next big show premiered amassing 5.7 million viewers, performing even better than Drake and Josh. That show was Victorious, a show that followed the main character Tori Vega and her sister Trina (played by Daniella Monet) who was a high schooler played by Victoria Justice and her experience attending Hollywood Arts. The show was received tremendously well, winning “favorite TV show” at the Kids’ Choice Awards in 2012 and 2013 over iCarly. However, not long after its big success came its downfall.
The show started to receive backlash after its viewers began noticing scenes that seemed unsuitable for its preteen audience. Daniella Monet reported multiple times feeling sexualized, and added how directors would refuse to cut the scenes, despite her pushback. Likewise, Ariana Grande who played Cat Valentine was put in various situations where she made adult jokes and was put into suggestive scenes. On YouTube there are even videos dedicated to these parts of the show, with video titles such as “Ariana Grande being sexualized on Victorious for 2 minutes straight” and “Top 10 adult jokes on Victorious you missed.”
Victorious featured a segment of the show titled “Cat’s Random Thoughts” which was dedicated to Cat doing random acts and speaking on random subjects on a fictional website from the show, TheSlap.com. For example, one scene in particular features Cat squeezing a potato attempting to “get milk from it” which people claim was unnecessary and indirectly fetish content.
Still, it seems that no one is seeing the bigger picture. It’s not just Nickelodeon, there are multiple kids shows and movies featuring sexualization of young stars which lead viewers to wonder who the real target audience is supposed to be. The core issue is that no one around them seems to prevent this or force the people responsible to take accountability.
Ariana Grande, Jennette McCurdy, Drake Bell, Amanda Bynes, Daniella Monet, Victoria Justice, and so many more names come up when thinking of the darkness that transpired on Nickelodeon sets. However, this pattern goes beyond just one industry, and it’s a troubling matter that should be talked about more.
Written by: Melany Gomez, Staff Writer