Nickelodeon stars: Where are they now? Amanda Bynes to Drake Bell

March 26, 2024 3 AM PT

“Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” a new ID docuseries, explores the allegedly toxic work environment on popular Nickelodeon shows throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The show focuses on TV creator Dan Schneider, who was accused of inappropriate and abusive behavior by those working on his hit children’s series.

The documentary and the reignited discussions about the treatment of young actors in Hollywood prompted Schneider to release a 20-minute video — a conversation with BooG!e, who played T-Bo on “iCarly” — responding to the allegations against him.

“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult,” he said days after the four-part documentary’s debut. “Facing my past behaviors — some of which are embarrassing and that I regret — and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”

Nickelodeon parted ways with Schneider in 2018 after nearly three decades at the network, where he produced and created several successful series, including “The Amanda Show,” “Drake & Josh,” “Kenan & Kel” and “Victorious.” He has not worked in television since then, but he told the New York Times in 2021 that he wanted to return to the industry.

Many of the former child stars interviewed for “Quiet on Set” spoke about the lifelong impact of their time working on Nickelodeon shows. Some have retired from the entertainment industry and others have gone on to star in several television hits and blockbuster films. Here’s what these Nickelodeon stars said in “Quiet on Set” or about the documentary’s allegations, and what they are up to now.

Drake Bell

Drake Bell got his start at Nickelodeon on “The Amanda Show” at age 12, seven years after he began acting. He later went on to star in “Drake & Josh.”

Bell met dialogue coach Brian Peck when he was filming his second season of “The Amanda Show.”

Bell reveals in the doc that he was sexually assaulted by Peck for months.

“The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal. I don’t know how to elaborate on that on camera, really,” he said. “Why don’t you think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault, and then I’ll answer your question.”

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested Peck in 2003 for “lewd acts with a child.” Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004 and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Because Bell was a minor at the time of the assault, he was only identified as John Doe in the case and his identity as Peck’s victim was largely unknown until his participation in the documentary.

Following the documentary’s release, Bell appeared on “The Sarah Fraser Show” on Friday and responded to Nickelodeon’s statements about the allegations in “Quiet on Set.”

“There’s a very well-tailored response saying, ‘Learning about his trauma,’ because they couldn’t say that they didn’t know about this or know what had happened, or anything,” Bell said. “I find it pretty empty, their responses, because, I mean, they still show our shows, they still put our shows on. ... If there was any truth behind them actually caring, there would be something more than quotes on a page by obviously a legal representative telling them exactly how to tailor a response.”

Bell was also vocal about his struggles with sobriety and his felony child endangerment charge that he pleaded guilty to in 2021. He added in the documentary that he went through extensive trauma and grief therapy. He told Fraser that he checked himself into rehab amid his interviews for “Quiet on Set.”

Bell is still working in film and television, and continues to release music today.

Raquel Lee Bolleau

Raquel Lee Bolleau was on the first season of “The Amanda Show.” She said in the documentary that the environment on set was emotionally difficult for her as a child, and said being let go from the show was a blow to her self-esteem.

“When people ask me, am I going to put my kids into acting, I literally have zero thought before my, ‘No,’” Bolleau said.

Bolleau wrote on Instagram days after the documentary’s release that she has been in “deep pain” watching the series, noting that seeing the environments she and her Nickelodeon castmates endured as children “just sickens [her] stomach.”

“I just commend every single person that was a part of this documentary,” Bolleau said in a video on Instagram. “What happened was not right. Something has to change.”

Bolleau has continued to act and is the founder of an organic hair-care brand.

Amanda Bynes

A crucial part of Schneider’s rise within Nickelodeon was his discovery of Amanda Bynes. “The Amanda Show” was described as “Dan Schneider’s big break,” and the series marked the first time the producer was credited as a creator.

Bynes started her Nickelodeon career on “All That” and was quickly recognized for her comedic talent. In 1999, she toplined “The Amanda Show,” where she led sketches and made a name for herself as a future star. Bynes went on to star in hit films including “She’s the Man” and “Hairspray,” and the WB sitcom “What I Like About You.”

With her personal life highly publicized as a child and teenager, Bynes struggled with her mental health and was was placed under a conservatorship controlled by her parents from 2013 until 2022. She started a podcast in 2023 and paused it after one episode before quickly resuming it.

She was detained by Los Angeles police last June for a mental health evaluation, months after she was reportedly placed on a psychiatric hold.

Bynes has not commented publicly about “Quiet on Set,” and according to TMZ, she and her parents declined to participate in the documentary.

Miranda Cosgrove

Miranda Cosgrove got her Nickelodeon start as Megan Parker, the young sister to Drake Bell and Josh Peck‘s characters on “Drake & Josh.” She is best known for her role as Carly Shay on “iCarly,” which premiered in 2007.

“iCarly” clips play throughout the documentary, including videos of Cosgrove acting out jokes that have sexual undertones or innuendos. An anonymous costume designer who appeared in the doc said she often felt uncomfortable with the content on “iCarly” and other Nickelodeon shows.

“Dan [Schneider] went overboard and zoomed in too often on the feet, zoomed in too often on the tongue licking things or some things that just went too far,” she said.

Cosgrove continues to act in television and film, recently starring in the “iCarly” reboot series from 2021 to 2023. She will also play opposite Brooke Shields in the Netflix film “Mother of the Bride,” set to hit the streaming service in May.

Leon Frierson

Leon Frierson starred in two seasons of “All That.” In the documentary, he spoke about feeling uncomfortable with some of the content of the sketches and with the costuming, which often featured leotards that made him feel “very exposed.”

He said he didn’t speak up on set because he didn’t want to be punished or have less airtime on the show.

“I always did my best to be a trouper, never complain, because we knew being close to Dan [Schneider] could mean an extra level of success,” he said in the documentary.

Frierson was interviewed on “Dan Abrams Live” on Thursday night, where he said Schneider’s apology was “better late than never.”

“I’m not here to judge someone for eternity,” he said. “I think there is an opportunity — we should meet his apology with grace.”

Frierson is also a musician, comedian and host of “80s90sand00svibes the Podcast.”

Elizabeth Gillies

Elizabeth Gillies starred as the fan-favorite character Jade West in “Victorious” from 2010 through 2013. She did not participate in “Quiet on Set” and has not commented on the documentary since its release, but clips of her on “Victorious” appear throughout the series because of their suggestive humor.

Gillies starred in the CW’s “Dynasty” reboot as Fallon Carrington from 2017 through 2022. She also continued singing and releasing music after “Victorious,” most recently launching a Christmas album in 2023 with Seth MacFarlane.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande entered the public eye on “Victorious” in 2009 as Cat Valentine, a sweet yet naive singer at a performing arts high school. Because of the popularity of her character, she was selected for a spinoff series, “Sam & Cat,” starring her as Cat and Jennette McCurdy as Sam from “iCarly.”

Grande was mentioned throughout “Quiet on Set” because of videos of her acting on Nickelodeon shows and in online extras that had sexually charged jokes and physical innuendos.

“There are several scenes with Ariana Grande that are really, I think, almost difficult to see as anything but sexual watching them now,” Kate Taylor, a Business Insider reporter, said in the documentary.

Grande, one of the most successful Nickelodeon stars of all time, released her debut studio album, “Yours Truly,” in 2013 while she was starring in “Sam & Cat.” She went on to release several hugely popular albums, including “Dangerous Woman” and “Thank U, Next,” and has won two Grammy Awards. Grande will star as Glinda in the upcoming film adaptation of “Wicked,” with the first part of the two-part movie hitting theaters in November.

Bryan Hearne

Bryan Hearne was a cast member for two seasons of “All That.” In interviews for “Quiet on Set,” Hearne recalled feeling marginalized because of his race. He said he was often cast in stereotypical roles for sketches and said an adult on set once referred to him as a “piece of charcoal.”

“My time at Nickelodeon played a big part in how I dealt, and still deal, with racial issues,” he said in the documentary.

Following his time at Nickelodeon, Hearne guest starred on shows including NBC’s “Third Watch” and in the film “Hardball,” with Keanu Reeves. He is now the co-CEO of the nonprofit Urban Poets Society, dedicated to supporting artists.

Ahead of the documentary’s release, Hearne told People magazine that he was in favor of “better laws to protect our kids on set.”

“I really hope that with people watching this, that people will do better and not just look at children as a paycheck.”

Katrina Johnson

Katrina Johnson, who starred on “All That” from the ages of 4 to 10, described Schneider as her “mentor” in the documentary.

She said producers on “All That” told her parents that she was getting “too fat,” which affected her body image.

“I still hear those words in my head to this day,” she said in the documentary.

Along with her “All That” castmate Frierson, Johnson went on “Dan Abrams Live” on Thursday, where she said she “only had positive experiences” with Schneider, but that “doesn’t, of course, discount anyone else’s experience.”

Johnson is host of the podcast “Uncensored Radio.”

Victoria Justice

Victoria Justice got her start at Nickelodeon as Lola Martinez on “Zoey 101.” She went on to star as Tori Vega on “Victorious” from 2010 through 2013. Justice and “Victorious” are mentioned throughout “Quiet on Set” because of resurfaced clips that some say have inappropriate humor for children’s television.

“Sometimes, there were scenes where there was a prop that was like, ‘Hmm, that could be a sexual innuendo,’” Mike Denton, a cameraman for “Victorious” and other Nickelodeon shows, said in the documentary.

Justice continued acting after her time on Nickelodeon and pursued a career in music, releasing an EP in 2023 and a single in February.

Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy began working with Schneider on Nickelodeon shows at age 13. She starred as Sam Puckett on “iCarly” in 2007 and in 2013 she portrayed the same character in the spinoff series “Sam & Cat” with Grande.

McCurdy does not appear in the documentary, but she released a memoir in 2022 that detailed her experiences as a child actor, including her work with an unnamed show creator she called abusive. McCurdy also alleged in her book, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” that the network offered her a paycheck to keep quiet about unsettling experiences on the set of “iCarly.”

McCurdy was not a part of the “iCarly” reboot that premiered in 2021. She said in an episode of her podcast, “Empty Inside,” that year that she had quit acting and was “so ashamed” of her previous roles.

Alexa Nikolas

Alexa Nikolas, who played Nicole Bristow on “Zoey 101,” had been vocal for years about feeling unsafe as a child on Nickelodeon sets prior to “Quiet on Set’s” release. She founded the organization Eat Predators in 2022 and has led protests against and conversations about Nickelodeon’s practices since then.

In the documentary, she said she thought her character was “like kid eye candy” and that the show’s jokes had inappropriate sexual undertones.

Nikolas shared a nearly two-hour-long live-streamed video reaction to Schneider’s apology, in which she criticized his response and the choice to have a former “iCarly” cast member conducting the interview.

In the video, Nikolas also said she refused to accept Schneider’s apology from the interview.

“I don’t forgive Dan Schneider. I’m not saying I’ll never [forgive him] ... That just wasn’t it. That wasn’t proper accountability. That was avoiding a lot of the main discussions that were mentioned in ‘Quiet on Set.’ This was him playing the sympathy card,” she said. “And we all know what he did.”

Josh Peck

Josh Peck, Bell’s co-star on “Drake & Josh,” was not a part of “Quiet on Set.” Peck posted a statement on social media following the documentary’s release. He said he reached out to Bell privately and wanted to “give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world.”

“Children should be protected,” his statement continued. “Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry.”

Peck has no relation to Brian Peck, Bell’s abuser.

Following his time on Nickelodeon, Peck continued acting, most recently landing a small role in “Oppenheimer.” He’s also co-host of the podcast “Good Guys.”

Giovonnie Samuels

Giovonnie Samuels was a cast member on Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy show “All That” for three seasons.

She spoke about the intense environment on set with Schneider and other producers and staff members, and said she often felt overlooked because of her race.

“I understood the magnitude of being the token Black girl, but I didn’t realize how significant that was until years later,” she said on the doc.

Samuels took to X (formerly Twitter) last week to share that being interviewed for the documentary was “hard but needed.” She also wrote that she and fellow “All That” cast member Hearne “have more to share in helping other child actors.”

After three seasons on the hit show, Samuels went on to voice a character in the Nickelodeon animated sitcom “Fatherhood,” created by Bill Cosby, and starred in popular films like “Bring It On: All or Nothing” and “Freedom Writers.”

Samuels now teaches acting classes and consults with parents of child actors to ensure their kids are working in safe environments, per People magazine. She is also launching a podcast called “The Tokens,” which will focus on being the only person of color on creative projects.

Jamie Lynn Spears

Jamie Lynn Spears starred as Zoey Brooks in “Zoey 101” after appearing in several other Nickelodeon shows like “All That” and “On-Air Dare.” The sister of singer Britney Spears, Jamie Lynn became a star in her own right on the show. She announced her pregnancy at age 16 and took a hiatus from acting after giving birth in 2008.

In 2023, Spears starred in a reboot of her hit Nickelodeon show called “Zoey 102,” which featured many members of the original cast. She also participated in three reality television shows in 2023: “Dancing With the Stars,” “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” and “I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!” She stars in Netflix’s “Sweet Magnolias” series.

(Warner Bros. Discovery)

Kyle Sullivan

Kyle Sullivan was a guest star on “The Amanda Show” and appeared on “All That” for four years. Sullivan described the set of “All That” as “dysfunctional” and said the cast and crew often worked overtime.

Sullivan said in the documentary that when visiting former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck’s house for the first time with other cast members and parents, Peck revealed that he was friends with serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Sullivan said Peck showed him letters and photos that he exchanged with pen pal Gacy.

“At this point, I’m like 14. I didn’t know the details, but I knew this guy is a f—ing serial killer who killed a lot of young men and boys,” Sullivan said in the documentary.

Peck was arrested in August 2003 on 11 charges of child sexual abuse. The documentary identified his victim as Drake Bell, who spoke about the assault for the first time publicly in his interviews for “Quiet on Set.”

Sullivan retired from acting after appearing in sitcoms “The War at Home” and “Malcolm in the Middle,” and in several other TV shows and films. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was most recently a partner at a venture capital firm.