I always wished I could be on Disney or Nickelodeon when I was a kid, from the iconic Disney Wand clips to watching the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. As if my life depended on it, I yearned to find a way to have that lifestyle.
If you haven’t seen it yet, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” is a moving documentary series that delves into the lives of some of the most well-known Nickelodeon childhood stars by unraveling the truths behind the glitz and glamor that accompanies youth fame.
After viewing this traumatic documentary series, I’m glad to say I never got to live that reality.
If you’ve watched, you know that viewers embarking on this journey are confronted with accepting the reality that stars such as Jennette McCurdy, Drake Bell and Alexa Nikolas faced abuse and more during their primitive preadolescent and adolescent years spent in television stardom. The series exposes the challenges that range from substance abuse to mental health issues and peels back the layers to reveal the human frailties that lie behind the screen, one episode at a time.
The revelations presented in “Quiet on Set” evoke a profound sense of disillusionment and sorrow. Having to rewatch clips from episodes with my once-favorite actors doing questionable things like dumping water on themselves while they’re in bed and putting a kitchen hose in their pants to simulate wetting themselves, was eye-opening in the worst way possible.
These were all things I found innocent and humorous as a child, but now I see these events as highly disturbing. Having to wrap my brain around the sexual abuse that Drake Bell encountered while starring in one of Nickelodeon’s most iconic shows, “Drake and Josh,” was heartbreaking. The childhood nostalgia associated with these stars has now been replaced with harsh and unforgiving memories and it leaves me questioning why my mom even let me watch these shows.
As a once avid “iCarly” watcher, I idolized both Miranda Cosgrove and Jennette McCurdy. I can attribute a big part of my humor to the show. The complex characters that were presented and the dynamic relationships they shared built a genuine bond between the program and its audience.
I’m still struggling to process that McCurdy was under extreme duress, both physically and mentally, from her own mother and the show’s creator, Dan Schneider. I commend her for her bravery when she spoke out about the workplace conditions. As she continues to advocate for herself and former castmates. The release of her 2022 book, “I’m Glad My Mother Died,” looks like it was part of the inspiration for this series.
Ultimately, “Quiet on Set” has been a sobering reminder of the cost of celebrity culture. It forces us to challenge all the perceptions we hold with our own childhoods and – hopefully – will prompt important conversations about mental health, as well as the relentless pursuit of stardom in the entertainment industry.
