For many decades, child actors have been coming forward about the mistreatment and abuse they faced in their shows and movies. Their stories have been about what they were coerced or forced into doing on set and what was done to them by producers and members of the production teams.
One of the most prominent child actor abuse cases was about Daniel Schneider, a former Nickelodeon producer. During his time on set, he produced a total of 11 shows, including “Victorious,” “Drake & Josh” and “iCarly.” It was these Nickelodeon shows that launched the careers of many famous stars today, such as Ariana Grande and Victoria Justice.
It was not until 2018 that Nickelodeon cut ties with Schneider due to the many allegations made against him in regard to his conduct toward the child actors. According to Entertainment Weekly, “Zoey 101” star, Alexa Nikolas, made a claim against Schneider in 2022 that he would sit in on her costume fittings.
According to Buzzfeed, Nikolas stated that Schneider was the root cause of her childhood trauma because he would yell at her and make her cry.
“I did not feel safe around Dan Schneider while working at Nickelodeon,” Nikolas said. “Actually, every time he came on set, my body got extremely tense.”
Another famous Nickelodeon actor abuse case is about Brian Peck. Peck has recently been accused of sexual abuse by former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell.
His new documentary, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” premiered on March 17 and 18. In it, he talks about some of the abuse he faced at the hands of Peck.
“I’m curious as to why he’s just now making these claims after all this time, and I’m also curious to see if anyone else speaks out against Peck to say that they are a victim as well,” said Greer Harper, a sophomore mass communication major.
Allegations of child abuse and misconduct are nothing new and have actually been going on since 1960. The aftermath of these situations can sometimes cause much harm to the actors later in life.
“For some of them, it leads to suicide or drug addictions, but some of them go through it and come out fine, like Drew Barrymore,” said Michael Crews, an assistant mass communication professor at GC.
According to the Daily Mail, Barrymore was coerced into drinking and doing drugs at an early age before getting sent to rehab and a psychiatric institution. Despite her rough childhood, she still grew up to be an award-winning actress and film producer.
Other child actors, like Judy Garland, do not always turn out so successful. According to the Washington Post, while filming on the set of “The Wizard of Oz,” Garland was both threatened and harassed by the male actors and executives of the production. Garland had multiple suicide attempts throughout her life, but she eventually died of an unknown illness at the age of 47.
Jeanette McCurdy is another famous child actor who has come out about her abuse and maltreatment while filming Nickelodeon shows. Her abuse came at the hands of her own mother, hence the title of her new book “I’m Glad My Mom Died.”
According to Teen Vogue, her mother emotionally and physically abused her whilst forcing her into acting in projects that would leave her unhappy and ashamed.
Ashton Koch, a mass communication lecturer at GC, thinks that the parents or guardians of the child actors are sometimes just as much to blame for the abuse they face.
“In a lot of these, it’s not just the industry; it’s the parents that enable it or push it,” Koch said. “They are putting their kids to work. Essentially, it’s forced labor in some of these times.”
As more and more actors speak out against the abuse they have faced in this industry, the more these cases come to light. Child-actor abuse continues to be a prevalent issue in the movie and TV industry today, so there is no telling how many more actors will speak out and tell their stories.
