Trigger Warning: The following article contains mentions of child sexual abuse, please take care while reading.
The docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV shed some light on Nickelodeon‘s terrible history of abuse, pushing others to finally speak out as well. One of these people is actress Amber Frank, aka Amber Montana, who starred in the beloved show The Haunted Hathaways.
Through precise investigation and disturbing testimonies, Quiet on Set revealed that dozens of child actors had suffered verbal and sexual abuse on Nickelodeon’s sets at the hands of dialogue coach Brian Peck and producer Dan Schneider. Spearheading the docuseries was Drake Bell, who told how he was repeatedly abused by Peck over the course of six months. Despite the severity of Quiet on Set’s accusations, Nickelodeon only released a vague statement claiming they would thoroughly investigate the matter.Â
In 2004, Peck was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor, who we now know was Bell. Still, the disgraced acting and dialogue coach landed on his feet as he went on to work with other young stars after spending only one year in prison. Evidently, not only has the docuseries underlined how justice was never properly served, it is also bringing forward even more shocking allegations against the channel.
Amber Frank reveals disturbing events involving Nickelodeon’s producers
Frank remembers a disturbing event she witnessed when working at Nickelodeon in a story published on her official Instagram account. According to the actress, there was an instance when the production of The Haunted Hathaways received computers that had child pornography on them. In Frank’s words:
“Nickelodeon sent computers over to production when we were starting filming the show, and when they were turned on, there was c**** p*** on them. Nobody was held accountable. There was no investigation…It’s beyond heartbreaking to know that a company that was employing children failed miserably at protecting them.”
By itself, the story would already be repulsive. However, it becomes even more appalling when we consider the inappropriate treatment of Nickelodeon’s young stars in the 1990s and 2000s. The worst, however, is the timeline of events. The Haunted Hathaways aired on Nickelodeon between 2013 and 2015, a decade after Bell’s abuse by Peck. This means that if the allegations are true, the company, which had ten years to restructure itself in a way that would ensure the protection of its young stars, preferred to keep turning a blind eye to some obvious red flags and chose to continue exposing its child cast to terrible experiences on set.
Frank’s allegations are the latest addition to the ways Quiet on Set has turned Hollywood upside down, particularly by forcing Schneider to make a public apology and shedding some light on the individuals who defended Peck during his trial. We are all still processing all the sickening revelations, hoping that the people responsible for endangering children will be held accountable for their actions.
So far, Nickelodeon didn’t comment on Frank’s testimony.
If you or a loved one are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or visit its website for confidential support.
