Melissa Joan Hart is showing support for her former Nickelodeon colleagues amid the release of “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” an Investigation Discovery docuseries in which Drake Bell of “Drake & Josh” fame alleges he was sexually abused by a Nickelodeon dialect coach as a teenager.
via Page Six:
Hart, 47, told Meghan McCain on Thursday that while she hasn’t seen the doc — which details the abuse Drake Bell suffered at the hands of voice coach Brian Peck — she fully supports those who came forward.
“I absolutely trust them, believe them, one hundred percent,” Hart, who started her career on “Clarissa Explains It All” in 1991, said on the “Meghan McCain Has Entered The Chat” podcast.
However, the “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” star noted that she never heard any similar horror stories herself while working at the network as a teen.
Despite having a “wonderful” time working for the network, Hart fully supports the victims who came forward about their experiences in “Quiet on Set.”
“I absolutely trust them, believe them, one hundred percent,” Hart said on the “Meghan McCain Has Entered The Chat” podcast.
“I don’t know other people’s experiences and I’m not negating anything anybody else says,” she stressed.
“I’ve never been told these people’s stories that are in the documentary. And I have to say, I’ve never heard a story from a Nickelodeon star personally, no one’s come to me and talked to me about any of these situations,” she continued.
Along with Bell, several other former child stars and employees spoke out on showrunner Dan Schneider’s alleged inappropriate behavior on set — including allegations of sexism and racism.
Hart noted that most of the alleged issues took place at the Hollywood filming location while she was stationed in Orlando from 1989 to 1994.
“In Orlando I had nothing but a wonderful experience,” she said, before admitting that “they did work the kids a lot harder than they probably legally should” due to the state’s child labor laws.
“We had a ton of fun, it was just long hours, that’s all — because I had to do school and the show,” she continued.
While working on the show was time-consuming, Hart was surrounded by “an amazing crew” and “an incredible cast” that took “such good care” of her.
“I mean, these people were protective of me,” she emphasized, noting that she felt “very safe” in their care.
“So I don’t know if it was the difference in Orlando, or the time period or whoever these guys were they weren’t around but I have to say not every egg in the Nickelodeon basket is rotten.”
While Hart left the network in the mid-’90s, Peck began sexually assaulting the then-15-year-old Bell in the early 2000s.
Yay for MJH speaking out and standing in solidarity with her former colleagues. Boo for her going on NutMeg McCain's show.
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