Quiet on Set Reveals the “Dark Side” of Nickelodeon

Television

***WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS DISTURBING CONTENT***

Every kid growing up in the nineties remembers the two main channels to watch: Disney and Nickelodeon. It was prime entertainment, with shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Hey Arnold!, and Ren and Stimpy, not to mention the original Disney channel films. Nickelodeon, however, was different and quirky – edgy, one could say. It had shows that pushed boundaries, and while some topics flew over our heads as kids, now as adults, it makes us really ponder the true themes we once did not understand. 

Now, three decades later, a bombshell documentary series titled Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Children’s TV aired on March 18th, 2024, exposing many of the damning rumors that floated around about the network. 

The first part of this story, however, is not about Nickelodeon as a whole but one man in particular: Dan Schneider. 

Schneider was an actor in the mid-80s to the late 90s, starring in small roles in the films Making the Grade and Better Off Dead, to name a few. At the 1988 Kids’ Choice Awards, he met with Nickelodeon’s then-head of production, Albie Hecht, who hired Schneider as a writer for the upcoming show All That (1994-2005).

He began to make a name for himself on the network after the monumental success of All That and soon became a producer. Afterwards, his name would soon be attached to many other well-known shows, such as The Amanda Show (1999-2002) and Drake & Josh (2004-2007).  Schneider came off as “the awkward, overweight guy” to many on set, always self-deprecating and not much of a threat to anyone. It was not until he rose in the ranks that his attitude towards the staff became borderline vile. Much of the production crew was forced to work non-stop, with no days off. One of the editors was even hospitalized after working to the point of exhaustion. Two of the two female writers, Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen, described their work environment as “being in an abusive relationship.” They were often made to shout out crude words such as “hammer” or “slut,” and if they would not do this, they would be bombarded with messages until they did. One incident in the writing room during which the group was pitching ideas had Schneider demand that Stratton pitch her joke while bent over the table and pretending she was “being sodomized.”

Mr. Schneider also had a frightening influence over the kids. There is an episode with the new cast of All That where Dan himself calls in, like Charlie calling his Angels. One of the girls also refers to him as “like a god.” Many of the sketches on the shows were also questionable, such as an instance in the episode “On-Air Dares,” where one of the boys was slathered in peanut butter, and dogs were released to lick it off. 

However, there was one cast member in particular to whom Schneider took a great shine, and her name is Amanda Bynes. Amanda took the show by storm, even at such a young age. We all recall her comedic antics, the banging of the gavel and crying out, “Bring in the Dancing Lobsters!” or the well-known character of Penelope Taynt. As she grew, Amanda wished to be more independent, not anchored down by the rules set by the adults in her life, thus bringing to light the phase of young stars wanting to be “emancipated” from their parents. At age sixteen, Amanda ran away from home and sought the help of none other than Dan Schneider. We know the police were involved, but to what extent and the specific details remain shrouded. 

This, unfortunately, is only scratching the surface of a much more sinister work environment, particularly towards the child actors on set. It is revealed in the second episode of Quiet on Set that Nickelodeon had hired two men accused of child molestation.

Many of the children were led from set to set by then-production assistant Jason Handy, who appeared as a friendly, energetic guy. MJ, the mother of a guest star on The Amanda Show named Brandi, opened up about how Handy exchanged numbers with many of the kids and even parents on set. At the time, it seemed innocent enough until Handy began to email Brandi. One day, her mother noticed Brandi become distraught after shutting down her computer and running to her room. Her mother asked what had happened, and it was revealed that Handy had sent the little girl a photo of himself masturbating, saying he was “thinking of her.”

In April 2003, police searched Handy’s home and discovered 10,000 images of children, all young girls in erotic poses, and CDs with videos of minors in sexually explicit activity. Handy even admitted in personal journals of being a “pedophile” and how he “struggled on a daily basis” with his gross fantasies. Also found in his home were plastic bags filled with tokens from the girls and labeled with their names. Handy was arrested and received a six-year prison sentence. After his release in 2009, Handy moved to North Carolina, where he was registered as a sex offender. In 2014, he was arrested again and remains incarcerated in Petersburg, VA. 

It was four months later that another part of the crew was also arrested for sexual assault against a minor, and his name is Brian Peck. 

(Part One of Two)