Predators and paedophiles: Nickelodeon scandal ruined 90s kids’ memories

Drake Bell was 15 years old when his dialogue coach, Brian Peck, sexually abused him during the time when the duo was working for Nickelodeon, an American cable TV platform famous for children’s shows

“Think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault, it became worse and worse, and worse… and worse, I was just trapped,” Bell said in the latest documentary series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

The abuse was constant, and it wasn’t just Peck but several employees at Nickelodeon who preyed upon underage talent, engaging in all forms of exploitation – emotional to sexual– as well as mental abuse and pornography.

The issue came to the surface when Investigation Discovery, an American TV network devoted to true crime documentaries, sat down with the then-child actors and writers from Nickelodeon between 1999 and 2004.

The four-episode bombshell documentary, exposing the dark reality of Nickelodeon, was released on Sunday, March 17.

Adult films alike entertainment

Much to the dismay and shock of all, especially the '90s kids who grew up watching Nickelodeon shows, the scandal has tarnished their childhood memories.

The documentary included actors from All That, The Amanda Show, and What I Like About You.

Reflecting on his experience on All That, Kyle Sullivan noted, "The show was filled with uncomfortable sketches."

"I felt very exposed," recalls Brian Hearn, an African American who starred in All That.

“What really made me uncomfortable was wearing leotards," he said.

He feels he was racially stereotyped on the show, being cast as characters like Little Fetus, a rapper, and a teen cookie seller who seemed to reference drug dealing.

"I always did my best not to be a trooper, a complainer. Because we knew being close to Dan could mean an extra level of success. It was important to be on his good side."

The mastermind behind Nickelodeon's most-watched and popular shows is the former executive producer and creator Dan Schneider.

Each actor shared the sentiment that they didn't feel comfortable expressing their disagreement with Dan Schneider.

Hearn expressed that over time, it began to feel like they were trapped in a kind of torture chamber, unable to refuse or voice their discomfort.

Another former child actor from the series, Giovanni Samuel, recounted a scene requiring them to consume large amounts of fake coffee and sugar, likening the experience to waterboarding.

Not only were the scenes uncomfortable, but also the characters were subjected to inappropriate approaches, such as the character's last name, Penelope Taint, from The Amanda Show.

A writer from the show revealed that in the writer's room, Schneider claimed he would explain it as being inspired by the verb "taint," like "tainted," but wanted to keep the real meaning of the name as a secret, stating, "Don't tell what the word really means," in reference to its association with male genitalia.

For the accusations, Dan Schneider said, "Everything that happened on the shows I ran was carefully scrutinised by dozens of involved adults. All stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts."

In a social media video, he later apologised about his role in the claims against him about a toxic workplace for child actors and the crew.

Paedophiles on set

The arguably most shocking reveal in the docu-series is that Nickelodeon had not one or two but three paedophiles on set who were later convicted and fired.

The first paedophile was a production assistant, Jason Handy, who was in charge of walking the kids around the set to where they needed to be.

He was defined as "a normal member of the crew" and even appeared on screen at the end of several episodes.

One of the victims' mothers spoke out at the series. She mentioned that Brandi, her 11-year-old daughter, and Jason began exchanging emails, which initially seemed innocent. She would occasionally observe these emails between them.

A few months later, her mother realised something was upsetting her daughter when she suddenly shut down the computer and rushed into her room. That day, she found out that Jason had emailed the 11-year-old girl an explicit picture of himself with a note saying that he wanted to see that he was thinking of her.

The mother didn't press charges but withdrew her daughter from the industry the same day.

Jason Handy was later arrested in 2003 for kissing and touching a 9-year-old girl and later convicted of child abuse and child pornography with over 10,000 images of children, 1,768 images of young girls in erotic poses, 238 images in explicit poses and more.

Police found his diary in which he wrote: "I am a paedophile, full-blown."

"I even struggle on a day-to-day basis of how I can find a victim to rape if I have to."

Just four months later, another paedophile on set was arrested: Brian Peck.

Drake Bell: John Doe victim of Brian Peck case revealed after 21 years

Brian Peck, better known as Pickle Boy, appeared on All That with the motto "likes to hurt and tease pickles".

For the inappropriate reference, "Dan (the creator of the shows) just has a weird sense of humour," actors told themselves back in the day.

Brian Peck's role was the dialogue coach on set, interacting with kids on set, with more special care for Drake Bell, a 14-year-old actor from All That, who later starred in his own show Drake and Josh.

Previously worked with many famous actors, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Peck was hired by the Bell family as an acting coach for Drake Bell.

"He just seemed like any other nice co-worker," Drake recalls, who told his story publicly for the first time on Quiet on Set.

"As a kid, you have no clue, but my dad saw a mile away."

Drake's father, who was his manager at the time, said that he believed Peck was "dangerous", and the wedge between them created an environment in which Peck would be the prey of Drake Bell, who was 14 years old at the time.

Bell's father said he went to production about his concerns about Peck, but he was labelled as "homophobic" by the cast because Brian Peck was openly gay and a little "touchy-feely guy".

Bell would later go on to fire his father and live with his mother, who technically took over the managerial responsibilities in Orange County. But then Peck took on the role of driving the actor to and from set into auditions, sometimes keeping Bell at his home overnight.

Bell said that's when the abuse began.

"Everything changed one morning," he recalls waking up to see Peck sexually abusing him.

Bell, visibly uncomfortable recounting the abuse, didn't go into detail on camera.

"It became worse and worse, and worse,… and worse, and I was just trapped," he said.

"It became pretty brutal."

While answering for the details, "Think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault, and that will answer your question," he said.

Later, when he opened up to his mother, she called the police, who recorded Peck's "full-on" confession over the phone to Drake Bell.

Brian was arrested in August 2003 for sodomy, forcible penetration, employment of a minor for pornography, and more.

In another shocking reveal from the docu-series, confessed and convicted sexual predator Brian Peck was supported in his defence by big names in the industry.

He later returned to the child entertainment industry after spending 16 months in prison.

Are kids safe in Hollywood now?

Each actor in the series acknowledged experiencing psychological challenges as a child star. They were also on the same page that "Children should be protected in the industry."

From self-esteem issues to dealing with addiction, most child stars do not get to have a childhood that kids are supposed to have.

Katrina from All That defined her state of well-being after being let go of the industry as "burned out".

"Not everybody gets to be normal afterwards because you don't know what that looks like," she said.

"There is a dark underbelly to a child stardom," said Brian Hearn, "children are just a dollar sign when they show up on a set. Nobody's taking anyone's mental health seriously, and that's completely unfortunate."

From what it's clear from the child actors' statements, there needs to be more support in terms of counselling mental health, wellness checks, accordingly law enforcement and psychological support for a permanent change.

In reference to the documentary series, Nickelodeon has stated that it "investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace..(W)e have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."