This week, Just Chatting is switching things up and talking Celebrity Drama. Quiet on Set dropped March 17, and the Internet erupted. Bombshell revelations from beloved childhood stars shifted the perception of an entire generation of television programming. The documentary deserves props for granting these actors a platform to share their truth. Horrifyingly, the doc series only grazes the tip of the iceberg of twisted set culture. A variety of stars have spoken about the sad behind-the-scenes reality behind our favorite childhood shows. A few of their stories are shared below.
[TW: SA, ED]
Drake Bell
The Drake and Josh star revealed for the first time that he was the minor who had been abused by acting coach Brian Peck. He was introduced to Peck as a dialogue coach for The Amanda Show. Peck worked to drive a wedge between Bell and his father, Joe. Drake Bell was just 15 when the then 43-year-old Peck assaulted him. Bell detailed various abuses, both emotional and physical. Peck, a now registered sex offender, was arrested in 2003 and served just 16 months in prison. At the time, various powerful actors defended the acting coach. Their character letters in his defense resulted in a shorter prison sentence.
Following the Quiet on Set release, Nickelodeon released the following statement regarding Bell’s allegations: “Now that Drake Bell disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.” Bell was not satisfied with this diplomatic response, labeling it “pretty empty.” While he endured years of abuse and struggles daily with trauma, the studio continues to profit from the shows Peck and Dan Schneider created.
Jennette McCurdy
McCurdy starred as Sam Puckett in the hit Nickelodeon series “iCarly” from 2007 to 2012. She continued to work with the network alongside Ariana Grande in the spinoff series “Sam and Cat.” McCurdy decided to share her experience with Nickelodeon production in 2022. Her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, detailed the uncomfortable and unfair pressures the network put on her. In one incident, she was photographed in a bikini during a wardrobe fitting. At another, she was pressured to drink alcohol on the iCarly set. In yet another, when she expressed discomfort during a kiss with costar Nathan Kress, she was yelled at and instructed to comply. She shared that Nickelodeon did not want her to share her experiences, and instead offered $300,000 in exchange for her silence. She declined said offer.
Beyond network pressures, McCurdy revealed she was emotionally and physically abused by her mother. At six years old, McCurdy’s mother pushed Jennette into acting as a means of financially supporting her family. Her mother was obsessed with the idea of making Jennette into a star, by any means necessary. McCurdy states that as a result, she developed an eating disorder. After years on network television, McCurdy says she will not receive her acting payments. Child actors are meant to be protected from exploitation via a Coogan Account, but McCurdy’s mother incorrectly filed the paperwork.
Miley Cyrus
One of the most recognizable faces in the early 2000s, Miley Cyrus landed the lead role of Hannah Montana at just 13. For her contributions to Disney, Cyrus is the youngest entertainer ever to be honored as a Disney Legend. However, her experiences as a child actor were far from the best of both worlds. She has a love-hate relationship with the role that rocketed her to international stardom. Cyrus revealed that fame at such a young age gave her an “identity crisis.” She described on an episode of “Rock This with Allison Hagendorf”, “I was a character almost as often as I was myself, and actually the concept of the show is that when you’re this character and when you have this alter ego, you’re valuable. And then the concept that when I looked like myself, when I didn’t have the wig on anymore, that no one cared about me.” Cyrus says she needed to be a characterized version of herself to feel worthy of attention.
Notably, she still loves the role she played. Reminiscing on her role as the pop star, she wrote, “Breathing life into you for those six years was an honor. I am indebted not only to you, Hannah, but to any and everyone who believed in me from the beginning.”
Alexa Nikolas
Zoey 101 alum Alexa Nikolas also shared her story in “Quiet on Set.” Nikolas began working on set at 12. During her fittings on the show, she says Schneider would remain the room with a Polaroid camera. Schneider handpicked tiny miniskirts that made Nikolas uncomfortable.
Two years later, she was fired after an argument with show creator Dan Schneider. She reported the older sister of costar Jamie Lynn Spears for bullying. In response, she was told, “Alexa needs to stop crying about being bullied. This is not about her. She needs to put her feelings aside [because] this is a professional work environment.” Nikolas was asked to have a private conversation with Schneider, which resulted in the show runner screaming at 13-year-old Alexa: “This is not called Nicole 101, do you understand me?”
Nikolas now runs a powerful movement called Eat Predators. Their mission is “Together, we stand as a powerful force, advocating for accountability, justice, and support for survivors—not predators.” She has been vocal about not accepting Dan Schneider’s recent apology video.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato was the face of a variety of Disney projects. She is most well-known for Camp Rock and Sonny with a Chance. Lovato expresses she is still healing from her experiences. The actor shared she struggled with an eating disorder throughout her time with the network. She said that calorie counting was “terrifyingly normalized.” Each year, she would be given a watermelon with fat free whipped cream as a birthday cake substitute.
Lovato also struggled with drug addiction. This addiction caused her to lash out and act erratically. Demi hit headlines when they punched a back-up dancer on the set of Sonny with a Chance. She attended rehab following the incident. Lovato decided not to return to Disney Channel after rehab. She feared she would be silenced from sharing any challenges.
In her YouTube series “Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil,” Demi revealed they lost their virginity to rape by someone else from the Disney world. After the assault, the actor remained in the Disney community. She refused to name anyone specifically, but Lovato says the actor was not removed from a movie following the incident.
Alyson Stoner
Stoner appeared in various projects as a child actor. Their child acting resume features appearances on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Camp Rock, Cheaper by the Dozen, Step Up, and more. They have since spoken out about being medically undernourished and chronically stressed due to inappropriate and hazardous set conditions. Stoner also developed an eating disorder. They explain, “I was acutely aware that my body had become a topic of discussion. Celebrated by some, scorned by others. Gorgeous to some, atrocious to others.” By age 13, Stoner had developed severe diet restriction, exercise bulimia, and binge eating disorder. At 17, while working on Camp Rock, Stoner was hospitalized and admitted to rehab for treatment.
Alarmingly, Stoner considers themself “one of the lucky ones.” While working on sets, they witnessed even more terrible things happen to others.
Bella Thorne
Bella Thorne rose to fame at 14 as CeCe Jones on Disney’s Shake it Up. Prior to her casting, Thorne recounted instances of being sexualized as a preteen and teen. At one casting call, a casting agent told her mother “she’s not moving forward because the director felt like she was flirting with him, and it made him really uncomfortable.” At the time, Thorne was just 10 years old.
During her three seasons on the Disney show, Thorne battled with show producers. The network, notorious for its strict conduct expectations, nearly fired Thorne for being photographed in a bikini on the beach. She was 14, and her friend was attempting to photograph a new piece of body jewelry.
She also explained the toxic working environment. Though she was best friends with Rocky Blue on the show, producers aimed to pit Zendaya and Thorne against one another. She explains, “We wanted to love each other, but yet were constantly being put against each other. It was, ‘Who’s better at this?’ and ‘Who’s better at that?’” Luckily, the girls resisted this pressure, and they repaired their relationship in the show’s later seasons.
The courage in sharing their experiences sheds light on systemic issues within the entertainment industry. Their message underscores an urgent appeal for comprehensive protections for young performers. Documentaries like “Quiet on Set” amplify these brave voices. This is a vital step toward fostering safer, healthier environments for all who wish to pursue the spotlight. It’s important that we take the time to listen, support, and advocate for change. Hopefully, we can protect the well-being of every child star, both now and in the future.
