PHOTOS10 of the Biggest Bombshells From the 'Quiet on Set' Docuseries
'All That' Cast Members Were Uncomfortable With Their Stunts
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV documentary, which is currently airing on Max, explores the alleged controversial on-set treatment of child actors in Dan Schneider's Nickelodeon shows. It included statements from Drake Bell, Giovonnie Samuels, Bryan Hearne and Shane Lyons, among others, as they detail their experiences while working on the network.
In the documentary series, Hearne and director Mary Robertson spoke candidly about their time on All That and how uncomfortable the stunts and costumes were.
At one point, a dog licked peanut butter all over Hearne's body. The former child star also wore tight-fitting costumes.
Meanwhile, Robertson noted the provocative scenes on the show, which disturbed the whole team and made them anxious about what they were doing.
'On Air Dare' Promoted Racist Sketches
Hearne also spoke about one of the network's shows On Air Dare, which featured racist sketches. His mother, Tracey Brown, was initially unaware of the treatment because Hearne did not tell her, but the matriarch reportedly felt something strange was going on whenever she watched the show.
"They set up the scene as if he was selling drugs," said Brown. "And I was like, 'Oh, the Black kid gets to be the crack dealer?'"
She added, "We were at the end of the scene, and there was a man sitting there who was the 'producer.' Behind him was a young lady massaging him. Why are we having adult jokes? Are you showing the kids that Hollywood is a casting couch? I was complaining too much. I'd become the odd ball."
Amanda Bynes Had a Controversial Relationship With Dan Schneider
Schneider's questionable jokes continued when Amanda Bynes led The Amanda Show as Penelope Taynt. The show's writers said they were told to lie about the meaning of the word "taint" to the executives.
The Amanda Show recorded a scene during which a bikini-clad Bynes shared a bathtub with a fully-clothed Schneider.
In a response to the buzz about their relationship, Schneider said Bynes "wanted to become emancipated from her parents" when she was around 16 or 17.
"She wanted that for herself, so she turned to her team, which included her lawyer, her agent, her manager, her publicist, me — because she included me as part of her team, thought of me that way. We supported her, she tried to get emancipated and it ended up not working out and she didn't," he stated.
Brian Peck and John Wayne Gacy Were Pen Pals
The docuseries also divulged Brian Peck's connection to real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who dressed in clown attire when he raped and murdered over 30 boys and young men. According to All That alum Kyle Sullivan, everyone trusted the disgraced Nickelodeon acting and dialogue coach. But one day, he found something off when they went to Peck's house for a barbeque.
"He had a room that was just dedicated to vintage toys and comic books. And he converted his garage into a Planet of the Apes shrine. I noticed a painting in the room that stuck out to me because it had nothing to do with Planet of the Apes. It was of a birthday clown holding balloons," Sullivan added.
When Peck shared the story of the painting, Sullivan saw a letter on its back that read: "To Brian, I hope you enjoy the painting. Best wishes, your friend, John Wayne Gacy.'"
Peck was reportedly proud when he showed the painting during the house party, and later on, Sullivan found out about his pen pal relationship with Gacy.
Dan Schneider Created Inappropriate Jokes
Schneider developed a habit of making the Nickelodeon child stars deliver his sexual sketches, and it started when he became the head writer and showrunner of All That. Some of the scenes in the network's flicks included foot fetishes, foreplay jokes, ejaculation and other inappropriate sexual jokes.
"Everything that happened on the shows I ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults. All the stories, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts," Schneider said after an investigation into his behavior toward the child stars.
He continued, "A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes. In addition, every day on every set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching us rehearse and film."
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Drake Bell Shared a Shocking Revelation About Brian Peck
Among the revelations in Quiet on Set, Bell's story about Peck's abuse caught the most attention.
The former child star was only 15 when he woke up while in Peck's living room and found the convicted s-- offender sexually assaulting him.
"I froze and was in complete shock. I had no idea what to do or how to react," he recalled. "It just got worse and worse and worse and … worse, and I was just trapped and I had no way out."
Bell did not report it to the police and only the mother of his then-girlfriend knew about the situation. He finally told his mother about it when Peck tried to get himself cast on Drake & Josh.
Leon Frierson Had to Wear a Suit Inspired by Male Genitalia
Aside from inappropriate jokes, Schneider also had the child stars wear sexually explicit costumes.
For Leon Frierson's part, he was told to wear a skintight superhero costume with prosthetic noses on the shoulders. The script included him shooting snot at someone, which reportedly implied "a c------ joke for children."
"You can't help but notice that it looks like p---- and testicles on my shoulders," Frierson said of his outfit.
S-- Offenders Worked Freely on Set
MJ, the mother of a former child star named Brandi, looked back at the time production assistant John Handy exchanged numbers with children and parents. Things became worrying when the matriarch found out that her daughter's relationship with Handy was getting too intimate.
One day, Brandi suddenly turned off her computer and cried. She told her mom that Handy sent her a photo of himself stimulating his genitals and telling the young star he was thinking of her.
Handy was arrested after police found thousands of photos of children and young girls and seven video files of minors engaging in sexual activity.
Stars Revealed Dan Schneider's Erratic Behavior
Workers on all sets of Nickelodeon shows experienced and witnessed Schneider's volatile behavior. The Amanda Show star Raquel Lee Bolleau called the embattled TV producer a tornado, while editor Karyn Finley Thompson accused him of degrading her.
Writers Broke Their Silence About Dan Schneider's Work Culture
The Amanda Show female writers Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen went through a lot while working with Schneider. They revealed they were forced to split their salary and were threatened after reporting their concern to the Writers Guild.
The gender discrimination worsened, forcing the latter writer to file a lawsuit against Schneider's production company. They settled in the end.
