Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV exposes the abuse behind the scenes on the Nickelodeon network. Nickelodeon was one of the biggest networks for kid’s TV in the ’90s and early 2000s. Drake Bell, a child star known for Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show, stepped forward in the documentary to discuss the abuse he endured. Now, he’s speaking out about how the network didn’t pay the child actors as much as people think they did.
Nickelodeon and ‘Quiet on Set’ star Drake Bell said he didn’t get paid much from the network
Nickelodeon star Drake Bell was known for his roles on Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show, and he stepped forward in Quiet on Set to detail the horrific abuse that he experienced at the hands of dialogue coach, director, and abuser Brian Peck. Bell spoke on The Sarah Fraser Show on March 22, 2024, about what he shared in the docuseries. He also talked about how Nickelodeon didn’t offer their child actors a “huge payday” for their work.
“I was fortunate enough to not have the burden of, ‘Oh my gosh, is my family going to make rent next month?'” Bell explained. “But, I’ve definitely seen that in Hollywood where parents put pressure on the kids, going, ‘It’s your responsibility. I’m sacrificing all of this for you and for your dream, and it’s your responsibility now for us to be able to put gas in the car.'”
He continued by explaining that he didn’t quite understand how the pay worked as a kid. “At my age, I didn’t know that 50% of my money was going to taxes and that 10% comes out for agents and 15% for managers,” he added. “I mean, I knew that. But you can’t calculate in your head.”
“After taxes, management, agents, we weren’t making crazy amounts of money. We didn’t get residuals on Drake & Josh; we don’t get residuals on The Amanda Show. So, we’re really hung out to dry,” Bell continued. “… I was just happy to be doing what I was doing, but there wasn’t a huge payday. That’s what we were working towards.”
Drake Bell said that Brian Peck made him believe that his father, Joe Bell, was stealing his money
While speaking on The Sarah Fraser Show, Drake Bell talked about how Brian Peck made him believe his father was stealing his money.
“It was being put into my brain that, ‘Look, you’re on a television show. You should have all this money. You should have this,'” Bell explained. “And I saw the checks. It wasn’t like my dad was keeping anything from me. But you only see your gross income. You don’t see, OK, well now we have to pay taxes, your manager gets this, your agent gets this. You’re not seeing that. And when you have somebody that’s infiltrated your life saying, ‘Oh, something is amiss here,’ then you start to believe it.”
Nickelodeon star Josh Peck spoke out about how much he made
Drake Bell isn’t the only child star speaking about their experience working for Nickelodeon. Fans of the network are eagerly waiting for fellow Drake & Josh star Josh Peck to speak out following Bell’s harrowing admissions.
Well before Quiet on the Set hit streaming, Peck spoke about what he made from Drake & Josh — and it isn’t as much as fans would expect. “The reality is that when we were making the show, we did 60 episodes, and we made about $15,000 an episode,” Peck said on the Trading Secrets podcast, according to Us Weekly. “You live with about $450,000 over five years, which breaks down to a little less than $100,000 a year.”
How to get help: If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 for free and confidential support.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is available to stream on Max.
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