1 00:00:07,724 --> 00:00:10,068 [Soft music playing] 2 00:00:32,689 --> 00:00:34,088 [Drake Bell] Back then... 3 00:00:34,172 --> 00:00:36,605 It was a different time, so I think it was 4 00:00:36,689 --> 00:00:38,812 a little easier to go to and from a courthouse 5 00:00:38,896 --> 00:00:42,191 and not worry about Twitter 6 00:00:42,275 --> 00:00:45,482 that night or TMZ paparazzi's being there. 7 00:00:47,379 --> 00:00:49,812 On the day of sentencing for Brian, 8 00:00:49,896 --> 00:00:51,916 I get to the courthouse. 9 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:53,295 [Scoffs] 10 00:00:53,379 --> 00:00:55,729 It was the most unbelievable thing I'd ever seen. 11 00:00:59,068 --> 00:01:02,862 His entire side of the courtroom 12 00:01:04,103 --> 00:01:05,172 was full. 13 00:01:07,517 --> 00:01:09,191 Full. 14 00:01:09,275 --> 00:01:11,605 There were definitely some recognizable faces 15 00:01:11,689 --> 00:01:13,709 on that side of the room. 16 00:01:13,793 --> 00:01:16,000 And my side was... 17 00:01:17,068 --> 00:01:21,172 Me, my mom, and my brother. 18 00:01:23,275 --> 00:01:28,467 Brian had been convicted, but getting all of this support 19 00:01:28,551 --> 00:01:31,241 from a lot of people in the industry and... 20 00:01:32,724 --> 00:01:34,172 Yeah, I was pretty shocked. 21 00:01:40,793 --> 00:01:42,965 My mom got up. She had a statement. 22 00:01:43,896 --> 00:01:46,689 I wasn't going to address Brian. 23 00:01:47,482 --> 00:01:50,137 There was no reason to. 24 00:01:52,620 --> 00:01:55,709 I addressed my statement to everyone in the room. 25 00:01:55,793 --> 00:01:57,448 I looked at all of them. 26 00:01:59,827 --> 00:02:01,655 And I just said, "How dare you?" 27 00:02:04,620 --> 00:02:05,896 And I said, 28 00:02:08,275 --> 00:02:13,260 "You will forever have the memory of sitting in 29 00:02:13,344 --> 00:02:16,896 this courtroom and defending this person. 30 00:02:18,689 --> 00:02:24,191 And I will forever have the memory of the person 31 00:02:24,275 --> 00:02:27,896 you're defending violating me... 32 00:02:31,275 --> 00:02:36,241 And doing unspeakable acts and crimes. 33 00:02:39,068 --> 00:02:40,758 And that's what I'll remember." 34 00:02:42,586 --> 00:02:45,758 [opening theme music playing] 35 00:02:54,724 --> 00:02:57,605 [Kate] In the end, Brian pleads no contest 36 00:02:57,689 --> 00:03:00,448 to two charges of child sexual abuse. 37 00:03:08,586 --> 00:03:12,295 And the judge sentences him to 16 months in jail 38 00:03:12,379 --> 00:03:15,586 and ordered him to register as a sex offender. 39 00:03:16,586 --> 00:03:21,191 But we wanted to understand who in Hollywood 40 00:03:21,275 --> 00:03:23,260 was supporting Brian through this. 41 00:03:23,344 --> 00:03:25,916 So we petitioned the court to unseal 42 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:27,862 the letters of support in this case. 43 00:03:28,793 --> 00:03:31,881 Letters of support are meant to influence the judge 44 00:03:31,965 --> 00:03:33,088 during the sentencing. 45 00:03:33,172 --> 00:03:35,812 In this case, most of them are asking 46 00:03:35,896 --> 00:03:38,034 the judge just to give Brian probation. 47 00:03:39,103 --> 00:03:41,502 These 41 letters have been kept under seal 48 00:03:41,586 --> 00:03:43,191 for two decades. 49 00:03:43,275 --> 00:03:45,916 Some are from family, some are from friends. 50 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,295 Dan Schneider does not write a letter. 51 00:03:48,379 --> 00:03:50,709 Top executives at Nickelodeon do not write letters, 52 00:03:50,793 --> 00:03:53,571 but some are from Hollywood insiders. 53 00:03:53,655 --> 00:03:55,778 You have the actor James Marsden. 54 00:03:55,862 --> 00:03:59,655 He writes in the letter, [reading line] 55 00:04:02,586 --> 00:04:06,571 James Marsden writes that he's known Brian Peck for 14 years, 56 00:04:06,655 --> 00:04:08,896 since Marsden himself was a teenager. 57 00:04:09,724 --> 00:04:12,467 Taran Killam also wrote a letter of support. 58 00:04:12,551 --> 00:04:15,295 He writes, "I've seen the effects this situation 59 00:04:15,379 --> 00:04:17,778 has had on Brian, and I know for a fact that 60 00:04:17,862 --> 00:04:19,758 he regrets any mistakes made." 61 00:04:20,793 --> 00:04:23,093 Some other people who wrote letters of support 62 00:04:23,103 --> 00:04:27,000 include the famous sitcom dad, Alan Thicke. 63 00:04:29,482 --> 00:04:32,379 The X-Men producer, Tom DeSanto. 64 00:04:35,379 --> 00:04:39,172 Ron Melendez, another very well-known actor. 65 00:04:40,931 --> 00:04:43,896 Rider Strong wrote a letter of support for Brian. 66 00:04:45,172 --> 00:04:48,034 And Will Friedle from Boy Meets World. 67 00:04:50,827 --> 00:04:55,571 We don't know exactly what these people were told about 68 00:04:55,655 --> 00:04:57,502 Brian's crimes before they wrote the letters. 69 00:04:57,586 --> 00:05:00,571 And we don't know which of these people, if any, 70 00:05:00,655 --> 00:05:03,364 were in the courtroom for Brian's sentencing. 71 00:05:03,448 --> 00:05:07,502 But these letters show how strong the support 72 00:05:07,586 --> 00:05:11,241 for Brian Peck was with people with industry connections. 73 00:05:14,068 --> 00:05:17,674 Outside of these individuals, there were over a dozen 74 00:05:17,758 --> 00:05:19,812 other letter writers who used similar language 75 00:05:19,896 --> 00:05:22,502 to blame the victim, saying that this 76 00:05:22,586 --> 00:05:26,812 wouldn't have happened unless Brian was tempted. 77 00:05:26,896 --> 00:05:29,950 Joanna Kerns, who met Brian when she was acting 78 00:05:30,034 --> 00:05:33,398 on Growing Pains, wrote, "I can only believe that 79 00:05:33,482 --> 00:05:37,088 there must have been some extreme situation or temptation 80 00:05:37,172 --> 00:05:40,068 exerted upon him to influence his actions." 81 00:05:49,620 --> 00:05:51,709 Kimmy Robertson is an actress. 82 00:05:51,793 --> 00:05:55,000 She wrote, [reading line] 83 00:06:00,310 --> 00:06:03,950 This logic is just victim-blaming. 84 00:06:04,034 --> 00:06:07,053 When this minor suffered at the hands of an adult 85 00:06:07,137 --> 00:06:11,448 who was in a very senior, almost parental position to them. 86 00:06:17,586 --> 00:06:20,674 There are people who worked with Brian and Drake 87 00:06:20,758 --> 00:06:21,708 on The Amanda Show, 88 00:06:21,758 --> 00:06:23,191 like the director, Rich Correll, 89 00:06:23,275 --> 00:06:26,019 and the stage manager, Beth Correll. 90 00:06:26,103 --> 00:06:27,088 Rich says that, 91 00:06:27,172 --> 00:06:30,172 "it would be my pleasure to work with him again." 92 00:06:30,827 --> 00:06:34,916 In fact, Brian Peck does end up working with the Corrells again 93 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,275 on the Disney Channel show, Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 94 00:06:42,172 --> 00:06:45,916 It shows that there are not enough protections in place 95 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:51,379 to keep even convicted sexual predators off of kids' TV shows. 96 00:07:07,793 --> 00:07:11,674 [Anne] In 2005, there was another case. 97 00:07:11,758 --> 00:07:15,295 Ezell Channel, a worker at the Nickelodeon lot 98 00:07:15,379 --> 00:07:18,605 in Burbank, he brought a child to the lot, 99 00:07:18,689 --> 00:07:25,295 a boy, and was convicted of abusing that child on the lot. 100 00:07:25,379 --> 00:07:28,984 He actually had prior convictions as a sex offender, 101 00:07:29,068 --> 00:07:30,965 and Nickelodeon didn't catch it. 102 00:07:31,896 --> 00:07:33,605 Jason Michael Handy, 103 00:07:33,689 --> 00:07:35,191 Brian Peck, 104 00:07:35,275 --> 00:07:36,984 and then Ezell Channel. 105 00:07:37,068 --> 00:07:40,571 These are three predators who worked at Nickelodeon, 106 00:07:40,655 --> 00:07:42,241 all in a short amount of time. 107 00:07:44,206 --> 00:07:47,778 [Kate] Around this time, Nickelodeon did expand its policy 108 00:07:47,862 --> 00:07:50,262 around background checks to include freelancers. 109 00:07:51,689 --> 00:07:55,088 When you look at having multiple child predators 110 00:07:55,172 --> 00:07:59,088 who worked at Nickelodeon, it raises some confusing questions 111 00:07:59,172 --> 00:08:01,758 on who to hold accountable. 112 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,502 I don't think that you can blame Schneider 113 00:08:06,586 --> 00:08:10,088 for hiring Brian Peck because he was not 114 00:08:10,172 --> 00:08:12,916 a registered sex offender when he hired him. 115 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:18,674 Drake very explicitly does not blame Dan for any of this. 116 00:08:18,758 --> 00:08:21,812 But it's clear that the system needs to look at 117 00:08:21,896 --> 00:08:24,172 if it is doing enough to protect children. 118 00:08:27,206 --> 00:08:28,019 Oh, that's not so bad. 119 00:08:28,103 --> 00:08:30,364 - It's not so bad? - No, it's all right. 120 00:08:30,448 --> 00:08:33,241 [Kate] After these arrests, Nickelodeon only grows. 121 00:08:34,586 --> 00:08:37,088 Hey. Thank you for being here. 122 00:08:37,172 --> 00:08:39,778 - [Indistinct chatter] - [woman] Jamie, this way! 123 00:08:39,862 --> 00:08:42,295 It was actually my first time acting on TV, 124 00:08:42,379 --> 00:08:44,191 so it's really fun for me. 125 00:08:44,275 --> 00:08:48,088 The mid-2000s is somewhat of a golden era for Nickelodeon. 126 00:08:48,172 --> 00:08:50,709 There is a spate of popular new shows. 127 00:08:50,793 --> 00:08:54,379 Dan Schneider is helping launch a new era of breakout stars. 128 00:08:55,103 --> 00:08:57,260 Jamie Lynn Spears in Zoey 101. 129 00:08:57,344 --> 00:08:58,398 - Zoey! - Hi! 130 00:08:58,482 --> 00:08:59,674 Hi! 131 00:08:59,758 --> 00:09:01,571 [Scaachi] Victoria Justice in Victorious. 132 00:09:01,655 --> 00:09:03,467 Just let me... [screams] 133 00:09:03,551 --> 00:09:05,778 Ariana Grande, who we now know 134 00:09:05,862 --> 00:09:10,674 as a very famous pop star, and Jeanette McCurdy in Sam and Cat. 135 00:09:10,758 --> 00:09:13,053 I am really smart. 136 00:09:13,137 --> 00:09:16,916 This is also the time that Drake and Josh really takes off. 137 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,200 If you've got a tween to a teen in the house, 138 00:09:19,275 --> 00:09:20,950 then you know Drake and Josh. 139 00:09:21,034 --> 00:09:22,709 People know you from the Drake and Josh Show 140 00:09:22,793 --> 00:09:25,467 on Nickelodeon, hugely popular. 141 00:09:25,551 --> 00:09:27,605 [Scaachi] Nickelodeon is making a lot of money, 142 00:09:27,689 --> 00:09:30,916 and Dan Schneider is becoming even more successful 143 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,674 and more powerful, an even bigger name in his own right. 144 00:09:34,758 --> 00:09:37,191 His shows are cultural juggernauts, 145 00:09:37,275 --> 00:09:39,916 especially iCarly starring Miranda Cosgrove. 146 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,502 I'm Carly Shay, and this is our very first webcast 147 00:09:42,586 --> 00:09:44,502 of a little show we call iCarly. 148 00:09:44,586 --> 00:09:46,812 If you've got a child aged nine to 12, 149 00:09:46,896 --> 00:09:49,364 or even a daughter like mine who's 14, 150 00:09:49,448 --> 00:09:52,502 chances are she's watched Nickelodeon's iCarly. 151 00:09:52,586 --> 00:09:54,571 It is a ratings blockbuster. 152 00:09:54,655 --> 00:09:56,295 - [All laughing] - [man] And that's our show! 153 00:09:56,379 --> 00:09:57,984 [All cheering] 154 00:09:58,068 --> 00:10:00,502 It hit at just a particular cultural moment. 155 00:10:00,586 --> 00:10:02,364 It was the early years of the Internet. 156 00:10:02,448 --> 00:10:04,778 ICarly is this Internet show. 157 00:10:04,862 --> 00:10:07,551 It felt cutting edge to teenagers who saw it. 158 00:10:08,931 --> 00:10:10,812 This is pre-YouTube generation. 159 00:10:10,896 --> 00:10:13,467 So there was also this component of real life 160 00:10:13,551 --> 00:10:16,984 that I think hit people in a way that his other shows didn't. 161 00:10:17,068 --> 00:10:20,551 And because it did, it just exploded. 162 00:10:21,310 --> 00:10:23,019 At one point, they did an episode 163 00:10:23,103 --> 00:10:24,916 where Michelle Obama shows up on it. 164 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,157 I'm on iCarly! 165 00:10:27,241 --> 00:10:29,467 With the success of iCarly, Dan is able to 166 00:10:29,551 --> 00:10:32,778 consolidate power at Nickelodeon in a whole new way. 167 00:10:32,862 --> 00:10:34,812 And this is around the time that the Disney Channel 168 00:10:34,896 --> 00:10:37,674 starts truly competing with Nickelodeon. 169 00:10:37,758 --> 00:10:40,260 They had massive hits like Hannah Montana 170 00:10:40,344 --> 00:10:42,812 and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 171 00:10:42,896 --> 00:10:45,881 So as Nickelodeon is facing all of this competition, 172 00:10:45,965 --> 00:10:47,448 Dan is their answer. 173 00:10:48,793 --> 00:10:52,709 It really launches Dan into this whole new level of stardom. 174 00:10:52,793 --> 00:10:55,502 [Reporter] He's Dan Schneider, a man with a gift, 175 00:10:55,586 --> 00:10:58,019 the gift of knowing what is funny to people of 176 00:10:58,103 --> 00:11:01,709 a certain age, say, 12 or nine. 177 00:11:01,793 --> 00:11:05,467 What do you got going that other folks aren't figuring out? 178 00:11:05,551 --> 00:11:08,812 For one thing, I am always trying to outdo 179 00:11:08,896 --> 00:11:10,019 the last thing that I did. 180 00:11:10,103 --> 00:11:11,310 Fred Wad. 181 00:11:12,931 --> 00:11:15,502 [Rick] Dan Schneider was always really tech-savvy. 182 00:11:15,586 --> 00:11:16,881 He loves technology. 183 00:11:16,965 --> 00:11:20,364 And so when the web started becoming popular, 184 00:11:20,448 --> 00:11:22,948 he was one of the first people out there, you know, 185 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:24,398 doing videos. 186 00:11:24,482 --> 00:11:27,605 [Dan] Oh, she almost sits, but she fakes out the cameraman, which is me. 187 00:11:27,689 --> 00:11:31,088 [Rick] Posting videos on social media and original stuff. 188 00:11:31,172 --> 00:11:33,191 Some of these seem pretty innocuous, 189 00:11:33,275 --> 00:11:35,984 where it's Dan recording the editing bay. 190 00:11:36,068 --> 00:11:38,605 [Dan] I'm in the editing room of iCarly, 191 00:11:38,689 --> 00:11:40,398 and we're working on the next episode. 192 00:11:40,482 --> 00:11:41,916 Okay, take one. 193 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:43,088 [Kate] Or the writer's room. 194 00:11:43,172 --> 00:11:44,916 [Dan] Okay, this is Dan Schneider. 195 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,881 I'm here with some of the iCarly writers. 196 00:11:46,965 --> 00:11:48,065 Hello, iCarly writers. 197 00:11:48,103 --> 00:11:51,812 But in these videos, you can really see the power play 198 00:11:51,896 --> 00:11:53,812 between him and his cast. 199 00:11:53,896 --> 00:11:57,812 It's a lot of him getting into people's physical space, 200 00:11:57,896 --> 00:12:02,551 and you can see palpable discomfort on people's faces. 201 00:12:03,620 --> 00:12:05,570 [Dan whispers] Trying to scare Jeanette. 202 00:12:05,586 --> 00:12:07,605 [Scaachi] There's one video in particular where Dan 203 00:12:07,689 --> 00:12:09,551 creeps behind Jeanette 204 00:12:11,517 --> 00:12:13,088 - [Dan yells] - [screams] 205 00:12:13,172 --> 00:12:14,984 [Scaachi] It scares her. 206 00:12:15,068 --> 00:12:17,364 My gosh, that scared me so much. 207 00:12:17,448 --> 00:12:19,364 But she can't say, I didn't like that, 208 00:12:19,448 --> 00:12:22,571 or she can't not have a sense of humor about it, 209 00:12:22,655 --> 00:12:24,053 and she can't not play with it, 210 00:12:24,137 --> 00:12:25,260 because she has to. 211 00:12:25,344 --> 00:12:27,191 - [Screams] - Oh. 212 00:12:27,275 --> 00:12:29,088 You have to be nice, because that's the only way 213 00:12:29,172 --> 00:12:30,502 that you're gonna get through. 214 00:12:30,586 --> 00:12:33,068 - Whoo! - [All laughing] 215 00:12:35,517 --> 00:12:38,916 For Dan, it was about power at that point. 216 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,793 And when you are someone who wants more and more power, 217 00:12:43,827 --> 00:12:46,344 eventually you're gonna fly too close to the sun. 218 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:54,674 One, two, three! 219 00:12:54,758 --> 00:12:56,674 [Dan] The kid audience is definitely my bread and butter. 220 00:12:56,758 --> 00:12:58,019 I mean, that's what I'm paid to do. 221 00:12:58,103 --> 00:13:02,157 I'm paid to get kids all the way from six to 14 222 00:13:02,241 --> 00:13:03,091 glued to TV sets. 223 00:13:03,172 --> 00:13:05,172 That's my goal. That's the sweet spot. 224 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,605 [Kate] By the late 2000s, Dan had more control than 225 00:13:10,689 --> 00:13:13,260 pretty much any showrunner at Nickelodeon. 226 00:13:13,344 --> 00:13:15,502 He had created his own little fiefdom. 227 00:13:15,586 --> 00:13:17,950 [Dan] All right, we're getting ready to fly. 228 00:13:18,034 --> 00:13:21,088 [Scaachi] But his style had a little bit of edge in it. 229 00:13:21,172 --> 00:13:23,743 It also really pushed the boundaries of sexualizing 230 00:13:23,827 --> 00:13:25,019 young girls. 231 00:13:25,103 --> 00:13:26,467 It's so cold! 232 00:13:26,551 --> 00:13:28,151 Wanna get slapped with a sausage? 233 00:13:29,413 --> 00:13:30,674 Sure. 234 00:13:30,758 --> 00:13:33,984 [Kate] There are jokes about being slapped with a sausage. 235 00:13:34,068 --> 00:13:35,968 There's a joke about being on the wood. 236 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,295 I want to be on the wood. What's the wood? I want to be on it. 237 00:13:38,379 --> 00:13:41,398 You have actors shaking weights in a way 238 00:13:41,482 --> 00:13:43,916 that seems very clearly sexual. 239 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,916 And these actors, for the most part, are minors. 240 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,674 ♪ Gonna make it on my own 241 00:13:49,758 --> 00:13:52,088 Another of Dan's shows, Zoey 101, 242 00:13:52,172 --> 00:13:54,812 is this high school boarding school, 243 00:13:54,896 --> 00:13:57,571 California experience. 244 00:13:57,655 --> 00:14:00,295 I was 12 years old when I started Zoey 101. 245 00:14:00,379 --> 00:14:03,674 Ooh, cute boy to the left, green shirt, backpack. 246 00:14:03,758 --> 00:14:07,019 When I look back at it, my character 247 00:14:07,103 --> 00:14:09,034 was there for the boys. 248 00:14:11,103 --> 00:14:16,295 Nicole was the archetype of male gaze female, 249 00:14:16,379 --> 00:14:19,398 where she was girly, very short, 250 00:14:19,482 --> 00:14:21,551 short skirts and pink. 251 00:14:22,586 --> 00:14:24,778 Like kid eye candy. 252 00:14:24,862 --> 00:14:27,398 How about this top? You like this top? 253 00:14:27,482 --> 00:14:29,053 It makes me look chesty. 254 00:14:29,137 --> 00:14:31,088 We don't need to be hyper-conservative of bodies, 255 00:14:31,172 --> 00:14:35,364 but that didn't represent even me as a girl at that age. 256 00:14:35,448 --> 00:14:39,379 [Costumer] Definitely Dan liked cute, pretty, flirty. 257 00:14:40,275 --> 00:14:45,157 I worked in the wardrobe department on Zoey 101. 258 00:14:45,241 --> 00:14:46,916 I always thought that Dan had a little bit of 259 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,709 an arrested development, and he was like that boy that 260 00:14:49,793 --> 00:14:52,053 wanted the cute girl to like him. 261 00:14:52,137 --> 00:14:54,937 I cannot believe I have two book reports due in one month. 262 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,778 [Scaachi] You put these girls in bikinis 263 00:14:56,862 --> 00:14:58,571 and bathing suits, which is fine. 264 00:14:58,655 --> 00:15:01,709 I think teenage girls should feel free to wear whatever they'd like. 265 00:15:01,793 --> 00:15:05,295 But when you are using nubile sexuality 266 00:15:05,379 --> 00:15:09,965 as a marketing tool, that's where it gets sticky. 267 00:15:12,310 --> 00:15:18,088 One of the most disturbing memories that I have 268 00:15:18,172 --> 00:15:21,364 would probably be the backpack episode 269 00:15:21,448 --> 00:15:23,295 with Jamie Lynn Spears. 270 00:15:23,379 --> 00:15:24,743 You just bite the tip. 271 00:15:24,827 --> 00:15:27,812 There are these goo pops, and my character 272 00:15:27,896 --> 00:15:29,241 can't get it open. 273 00:15:29,931 --> 00:15:30,812 It's not coming out. 274 00:15:30,896 --> 00:15:32,068 And it ends up... 275 00:15:33,586 --> 00:15:36,862 Squirting onto Jamie's face. 276 00:15:39,758 --> 00:15:45,364 So the prop person comes onto set with a syringe. 277 00:15:45,448 --> 00:15:49,862 We all, like, stood behind the camera to watch. 278 00:15:51,793 --> 00:15:53,862 It lands on her face. 279 00:15:55,758 --> 00:15:58,398 So first it was Dan roaring, laughing, 280 00:15:58,482 --> 00:16:00,862 and then everyone kind of giggling. 281 00:16:02,793 --> 00:16:06,068 We heard the boys saying, "It's a [bleep] shot." 282 00:16:08,379 --> 00:16:10,137 And I had no idea... 283 00:16:12,517 --> 00:16:13,984 What that meant. 284 00:16:14,068 --> 00:16:15,812 Once I saw it again as an adult 285 00:16:15,896 --> 00:16:17,674 was when that memory came back. 286 00:16:17,758 --> 00:16:21,916 I was like, "Oh, oh, oh, oh." 287 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:23,053 Wasn't funny. 288 00:16:23,137 --> 00:16:24,916 It still isn't funny to me, to be honest. 289 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,743 It's just like, that's a kid. 290 00:16:27,827 --> 00:16:31,344 And she was on set that day and... 291 00:16:36,793 --> 00:16:38,862 Sorry. Just as a mom, like, 292 00:16:41,103 --> 00:16:44,655 If my daughter was ever put in the... It's gross. 293 00:16:46,103 --> 00:16:47,448 Like, there's just... 294 00:16:48,586 --> 00:16:53,034 It's appalling behavior on all the adults' behalf that day. 295 00:16:54,379 --> 00:16:58,191 In my mind, a kids' show should be 296 00:16:58,275 --> 00:16:59,875 exactly what it is, a kids' show. 297 00:16:59,896 --> 00:17:03,053 And sometimes there were scenes where there was a prop 298 00:17:03,137 --> 00:17:04,778 that was like... 299 00:17:04,862 --> 00:17:06,398 What's he doing? 300 00:17:06,482 --> 00:17:10,088 Hmm, that could be a sexual innuendo. 301 00:17:10,172 --> 00:17:11,260 Those are good ones. 302 00:17:11,344 --> 00:17:12,812 Mmm. 303 00:17:12,896 --> 00:17:15,984 [Alexa] Dan went overboard and just zoomed in too often on the feet. 304 00:17:16,068 --> 00:17:17,950 Wow, they're really soft. 305 00:17:18,034 --> 00:17:21,674 Zoomed in too often on the tongue licking things 306 00:17:21,758 --> 00:17:24,241 or something that just went too far. 307 00:17:25,482 --> 00:17:27,502 [Woman] Was anyone able to say anything or is that like... 308 00:17:27,586 --> 00:17:31,847 Oh, no, no. This is, it's Dan's baby. 309 00:17:31,931 --> 00:17:34,000 Dan was Nickelodeon's golden boy. 310 00:17:35,172 --> 00:17:36,984 And even if he and the network were at odds, 311 00:17:37,068 --> 00:17:39,088 he had the power to push back. 312 00:17:39,172 --> 00:17:42,467 It was very hard to say anything to him. 313 00:17:42,551 --> 00:17:46,157 And his show, Victorious, took this to a whole new level. 314 00:17:46,241 --> 00:17:48,847 With that show, there were online extras that 315 00:17:48,931 --> 00:17:51,812 the network did not fully know how to deal with. 316 00:17:51,896 --> 00:17:54,191 Time for your nap, tomatoes. 317 00:17:54,275 --> 00:17:58,068 In some of them, you see Ariana putting tomatoes in a bra. 318 00:17:59,793 --> 00:18:01,157 Check this out. 319 00:18:01,241 --> 00:18:03,812 [Kate] There are several scenes with Ariana Grande 320 00:18:03,896 --> 00:18:07,364 that are really I think almost difficult to see 321 00:18:07,448 --> 00:18:09,448 as anything but sexual watching them now. 322 00:18:10,103 --> 00:18:13,448 Mmm, I'm thirsty. 323 00:18:15,103 --> 00:18:16,482 [Squeals] 324 00:18:18,172 --> 00:18:20,916 - [grunts] - [Scaachi] She's effectively massaging 325 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:21,896 a potato. 326 00:18:21,896 --> 00:18:24,398 Come on, give up the juice. 327 00:18:24,482 --> 00:18:26,382 [Scaachi] That's a little... [Chuckles] 328 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:28,502 [bleep] shaped perhaps. 329 00:18:28,586 --> 00:18:31,398 We're adults, so we know what's going on, 330 00:18:31,482 --> 00:18:32,709 but this is a show for kids. 331 00:18:32,793 --> 00:18:33,950 So... 332 00:18:34,034 --> 00:18:37,398 Who is sexual innuendo for on a kids show? 333 00:18:37,482 --> 00:18:39,502 Help me up on this thing. 334 00:18:39,586 --> 00:18:42,984 It's legal and there's nothing actionable about it, 335 00:18:43,068 --> 00:18:44,088 Just lift me. 336 00:18:44,172 --> 00:18:47,295 ...But there is a nebulousness around it, 337 00:18:47,379 --> 00:18:49,398 but it's morally murky. 338 00:18:49,482 --> 00:18:51,502 At the end of the day, I love it when the cast gets 339 00:18:51,586 --> 00:18:54,502 sassy with me because I get to write all the scripts 340 00:18:54,586 --> 00:18:55,950 with some very talented writers, 341 00:18:56,034 --> 00:18:57,398 but I get to, I can put them in 342 00:18:57,482 --> 00:18:59,364 any horrible predicament I choose. 343 00:18:59,448 --> 00:19:03,674 You can touch their hair, you can take a picture with them, 344 00:19:03,758 --> 00:19:06,295 you can ask them personal questions, 345 00:19:06,379 --> 00:19:08,931 inappropriate ones, whatever you want to do. 346 00:19:11,103 --> 00:19:16,467 Dan, he behaved in a way that was pretty concerning 347 00:19:16,551 --> 00:19:19,088 and problematic, especially when it comes to women, 348 00:19:19,172 --> 00:19:21,551 and how he treated people as a boss on set. 349 00:19:23,793 --> 00:19:26,643 [Costumer] Something that was always really uncomfortable 350 00:19:27,103 --> 00:19:31,502 was walking onto set and seeing who Dan 351 00:19:31,586 --> 00:19:33,931 had talked into giving him a massage. 352 00:19:35,103 --> 00:19:38,157 It was almost always a female and it was often one 353 00:19:38,241 --> 00:19:40,191 from the wardrobe department. 354 00:19:40,275 --> 00:19:41,862 It was humiliating. 355 00:19:44,689 --> 00:19:47,295 I remember one time sitting next to a colleague 356 00:19:47,379 --> 00:19:50,088 and she got a text from him saying, 357 00:19:50,172 --> 00:19:52,344 "Come and massage me on the set." 358 00:19:53,275 --> 00:19:56,191 and she said, "My God, doesn't he know I'm doing 359 00:19:56,275 --> 00:19:57,605 two shows? 360 00:19:57,689 --> 00:19:59,916 I'm so busy," and I could see that 361 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,709 she was distraught, but she went anyway. 362 00:20:03,793 --> 00:20:07,191 It definitely felt like a form of sexual harassment. 363 00:20:07,275 --> 00:20:08,778 There was always someone massaging him. 364 00:20:08,862 --> 00:20:13,916 That's, like, all I remember was some person on set 365 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:15,295 massaging that guy. 366 00:20:15,379 --> 00:20:19,157 Dan was asking for this incredibly inappropriate thing 367 00:20:19,241 --> 00:20:20,916 for almost two decades. 368 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,191 He was asking people at work to touch him. 369 00:20:24,275 --> 00:20:27,191 Everyone knew it, from New York to California. 370 00:20:27,275 --> 00:20:29,398 So who would we go to? 371 00:20:29,482 --> 00:20:33,191 Who could we possibly go to to complain about this? 372 00:20:33,275 --> 00:20:35,674 [Rick] Nickelodeon could have been there 373 00:20:35,758 --> 00:20:38,398 to be a buffer more than they were. 374 00:20:38,482 --> 00:20:42,467 And I don't think the network was ever close to doing that. 375 00:20:42,551 --> 00:20:45,295 Why wouldn't anybody do anything? Why didn't they stop him? 376 00:20:45,379 --> 00:20:46,674 [Indistinct chatter] 377 00:20:46,758 --> 00:20:49,398 It felt like somebody needed to rein him in, 378 00:20:49,482 --> 00:20:51,034 and he wasn't reined in. 379 00:20:58,137 --> 00:21:00,674 [Upbeat music playing] 380 00:21:00,758 --> 00:21:04,295 [Kate] In 2014, we have the Kids' Choice Awards. 381 00:21:04,379 --> 00:21:05,674 [All cheering] 382 00:21:05,758 --> 00:21:08,467 This is Nickelodeon's big night to celebrate their stars. 383 00:21:08,551 --> 00:21:10,502 [Ariana] As far as award shows or anything goes, 384 00:21:10,586 --> 00:21:12,881 Nickelodeon always does it the funnest, you know what I mean? 385 00:21:12,965 --> 00:21:16,191 Nickelodeon is known for being fun and messy and gross. 386 00:21:16,275 --> 00:21:20,226 It's also the awards where Dan is being celebrated. 387 00:21:20,310 --> 00:21:22,364 I'm happy to be here to honor Dan. 388 00:21:22,448 --> 00:21:24,605 He's created so many amazing shows. 389 00:21:24,689 --> 00:21:27,847 Dan Schneider wins his Lifetime Achievement Award. 390 00:21:27,931 --> 00:21:30,984 [Kate] He is surrounded by so many different people from all his shows. 391 00:21:31,068 --> 00:21:32,709 They're talking about how great he is. 392 00:21:32,793 --> 00:21:33,950 Thank you, Dan. 393 00:21:34,034 --> 00:21:35,709 You're an inspiration! 394 00:21:35,793 --> 00:21:39,295 Speaking about how key he was to their careers. 395 00:21:39,379 --> 00:21:42,640 You not only changed all of our lives, 396 00:21:42,724 --> 00:21:44,344 you changed Kids TV. 397 00:21:46,379 --> 00:21:49,965 But there is one person that does not show up. 398 00:21:50,758 --> 00:21:52,709 And that is Jeanette McCurdy, 399 00:21:52,793 --> 00:21:55,034 who was the co-star on Sam and Cat. 400 00:21:55,896 --> 00:21:58,605 People were just thinking, "Oh, that's odd." 401 00:21:58,689 --> 00:22:02,847 She's one of the primary people on one of his shows. 402 00:22:02,931 --> 00:22:05,640 She's been with this guy forever. 403 00:22:05,724 --> 00:22:07,137 Why is she not there? 404 00:22:11,793 --> 00:22:13,709 [Scaachi] Eight years later, Jeanette McCurdy publishes 405 00:22:13,793 --> 00:22:16,329 a memoir about her life as a child star, 406 00:22:16,413 --> 00:22:19,674 about the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her mother. 407 00:22:19,758 --> 00:22:24,329 But the memoir also answers a lot of really complicated questions 408 00:22:24,413 --> 00:22:27,984 about working as a child actor and about Dan Schneider, 409 00:22:28,068 --> 00:22:30,674 who she began working with around age 13. 410 00:22:30,758 --> 00:22:33,088 You pull back the curtain on child stardom. 411 00:22:33,172 --> 00:22:36,778 - It is not a pretty picture. - Not as I see it, no. 412 00:22:36,862 --> 00:22:39,019 [Scaachi] In Jeanette's memoir, she writes about 413 00:22:39,103 --> 00:22:41,398 an unnamed television show creator, 414 00:22:41,482 --> 00:22:43,260 and a lot of people have speculated that 415 00:22:43,344 --> 00:22:45,709 that person is Dan Schneider. 416 00:22:45,793 --> 00:22:47,916 She writes, "I feel like The Creator 417 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:49,398 has two distinct sides. 418 00:22:49,482 --> 00:22:52,364 One is generous and over-the-top complimentary. 419 00:22:52,448 --> 00:22:54,536 The other side is mean-spirited, 420 00:22:54,620 --> 00:22:56,916 controlling, and terrifying." 421 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,571 She's also talked in a podcast about how this treatment felt abusive. 422 00:23:00,655 --> 00:23:03,157 There was a very abusive producer on that show, 423 00:23:03,241 --> 00:23:04,916 and that would not have gone well 424 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:06,850 if I tried to communicate that to him. 425 00:23:06,931 --> 00:23:09,847 "He'll call people idiots, buffoons, stupid, 426 00:23:09,931 --> 00:23:14,329 dumb, sloppy, careless, and spineless. 427 00:23:14,413 --> 00:23:17,206 The creator knows how to make someone feel worthless." 428 00:23:18,482 --> 00:23:21,241 [indistinct on-set chatter] 429 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,827 [Kate] Dan's treatment of people on his shows was an open secret. 430 00:23:30,275 --> 00:23:32,778 For the crew, if you messed up, 431 00:23:32,862 --> 00:23:34,362 even if it was a minor mistake, 432 00:23:34,379 --> 00:23:36,881 Dan would be someone who would be willing to humiliate you 433 00:23:36,965 --> 00:23:38,551 or fire you on the spot. 434 00:23:40,344 --> 00:23:43,984 [Rick] The description I got from someone was that everything 435 00:23:44,068 --> 00:23:48,674 that Dan Schneider did is a DEFCON ten event. 436 00:23:48,758 --> 00:23:51,916 Dan Schneider was convinced that everything that he did, 437 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,226 the, quote, "Passion of the way he reacted 438 00:23:55,310 --> 00:23:56,674 and the way that he approached people," 439 00:23:56,758 --> 00:23:58,364 that's what made this magic happen. 440 00:23:58,448 --> 00:24:00,398 That's what made these shows a success. 441 00:24:01,896 --> 00:24:06,709 [Scaachi] Culturally, we are still doing the tortured genius routine. 442 00:24:06,793 --> 00:24:10,019 So if a guy's a total piece of [bleep], 443 00:24:10,103 --> 00:24:13,862 he must be so good at his job. [Chuckles] 444 00:24:15,034 --> 00:24:16,640 [Jennette] There's a lot of abuse that happens. 445 00:24:16,724 --> 00:24:19,812 I mean, even talking about it now, my face gets hot. 446 00:24:19,896 --> 00:24:21,329 You know, he'd say things like, 447 00:24:21,413 --> 00:24:23,502 "You would work at Yogurtland if you didn't work for me." 448 00:24:23,586 --> 00:24:25,034 And he would just scream. 449 00:24:27,448 --> 00:24:31,034 [Kate] Jeanette's experience gets a lot worse on Sam and Cat. 450 00:24:32,793 --> 00:24:36,206 And this is happening at the same time Jeanette's mom dies. 451 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:41,502 [Kate] She took less than a week break from filming. 452 00:24:41,586 --> 00:24:44,157 And her quick return is something that people on set 453 00:24:44,241 --> 00:24:46,448 told us that they were disturbed by. 454 00:24:48,137 --> 00:24:50,916 [Rick] The situation got so stressful on the set of Sam and Cat. 455 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,536 Nickelodeon launched an internal investigation. 456 00:24:54,620 --> 00:24:57,364 [Kate] I learned that Dan is seen as kind of contributing 457 00:24:57,448 --> 00:25:00,536 to this toxic culture that is happening 458 00:25:00,620 --> 00:25:04,226 and that is really making this show a difficult place 459 00:25:04,310 --> 00:25:05,510 for many people to work. 460 00:25:05,586 --> 00:25:08,088 [All laughing] 461 00:25:08,172 --> 00:25:10,329 [Kate] After the investigation, Dan Schneider 462 00:25:10,413 --> 00:25:13,778 was no longer allowed to really interact with the cast anymore. 463 00:25:13,862 --> 00:25:17,709 Dan has always been such a hands-on showrunner, 464 00:25:17,793 --> 00:25:22,916 so for Dan, this is the biggest punishment you can imagine. 465 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,916 [Rick] When you look at the industry as a whole, this never happens. 466 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,916 You would be hard-pressed to find another show 467 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,674 where they're saying, "Look, we don't trust the guy 468 00:25:31,758 --> 00:25:32,812 running the show 469 00:25:32,896 --> 00:25:36,260 to deal with people in a humane way." 470 00:25:36,344 --> 00:25:39,088 But they also don't want to get rid of him. 471 00:25:39,172 --> 00:25:41,088 He creates hits. 472 00:25:41,172 --> 00:25:43,053 There's money to be made. 473 00:25:43,137 --> 00:25:46,295 [Scaachi] Dan Schneider can get away with it because he's Dan Schneider. 474 00:25:46,379 --> 00:25:48,916 And powerful people in the entertainment space 475 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,758 will make allowances for anybody who is successful. 476 00:25:53,034 --> 00:25:56,000 Until something happens that you cannot ignore. 477 00:26:10,068 --> 00:26:11,655 [Dramatic music playing] 478 00:26:17,275 --> 00:26:20,916 In 2017, three years after Dan is banned from working 479 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:24,640 directly with his own actors on the set of Sam and Cat, 480 00:26:24,724 --> 00:26:27,847 he's back on set at Nickelodeon with two new shows, 481 00:26:27,931 --> 00:26:29,778 Henry Danger and Game Shakers. 482 00:26:29,862 --> 00:26:32,605 I booked you a massage with the massage squad. 483 00:26:32,689 --> 00:26:34,812 But around this time, something has shifted 484 00:26:34,896 --> 00:26:38,536 culturally around workplace harassment and toxicity. 485 00:26:38,620 --> 00:26:40,502 [Reporter one] Millions of women across the country 486 00:26:40,586 --> 00:26:42,936 - using the hashtag MeToo. - [reporter two] MeToo. 487 00:26:42,965 --> 00:26:44,191 [Reporter three] The MeToo phenomenon. 488 00:26:44,275 --> 00:26:45,847 [Reporter four] Several allegations of sexual harassment 489 00:26:45,931 --> 00:26:46,812 against Harvey Weinstein. 490 00:26:46,896 --> 00:26:48,226 [Reporter five ] This morning, Kevin Spacey, 491 00:26:48,310 --> 00:26:50,295 - Undersire, - [reporter six] R. Kelly, Bill Cosby. 492 00:26:50,379 --> 00:26:52,847 [Reporter seven] The MeToo movement exploding overnight. 493 00:26:52,931 --> 00:26:55,431 [Reporter eight] And the accusations just keep coming. 494 00:26:57,068 --> 00:27:00,053 [Costumer] I decided I'd had enough when the MeToo movement 495 00:27:00,137 --> 00:27:05,758 made it okay to talk about hostile work environments. 496 00:27:07,275 --> 00:27:10,984 I felt like I could finally call up my union 497 00:27:11,068 --> 00:27:13,916 and let them know that there had been some stuff 498 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,916 going on that it was inappropriate that 499 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,916 he asked for massages from females weekly 500 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,467 if not daily and this is not right. 501 00:27:23,551 --> 00:27:25,137 Something has to be done. 502 00:27:26,137 --> 00:27:29,467 The union representative said I wasn't the only one 503 00:27:29,551 --> 00:27:33,019 who had shown my shock and displeasure that 504 00:27:33,103 --> 00:27:34,448 this was allowed to go on. 505 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:38,758 And that they were looking into it. 506 00:27:42,793 --> 00:27:44,693 A lot of rumors were circulating around 507 00:27:44,758 --> 00:27:48,413 Dan Schneider, and these really exploded online. 508 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,433 In 2017, Nickelodeon launches yet 509 00:27:53,517 --> 00:27:56,364 another investigation into Dan Schneider. 510 00:27:56,448 --> 00:27:58,398 It's not because they have a smoking gun, 511 00:27:58,482 --> 00:28:00,640 it's because the Me Too movement has helped us 512 00:28:00,724 --> 00:28:03,916 sort of rethink and reevaluate what we think is appropriate 513 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:05,800 and not appropriate in the workplace. 514 00:28:07,034 --> 00:28:10,536 And then my supervisor actually called me 515 00:28:10,620 --> 00:28:11,862 and told me that... 516 00:28:14,068 --> 00:28:16,034 Yeah, Dan wouldn't be coming back. 517 00:28:31,896 --> 00:28:36,709 [Kate] For Dan to be ousted from Nickelodeon is a huge shock. 518 00:28:36,793 --> 00:28:39,310 He did not see this coming. 519 00:28:40,896 --> 00:28:43,916 [Rick] He issues a couple statements, basically, 520 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:45,157 "Oh, you know, I need some time off. 521 00:28:45,241 --> 00:28:48,448 I'm just, you know, I'm working on my life." 522 00:28:57,034 --> 00:28:58,916 [Kate] But behind the scenes. 523 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,950 Nickelodeon literally changes the locks of this place 524 00:29:03,034 --> 00:29:04,862 that he turned into an empire. 525 00:29:08,172 --> 00:29:10,916 [Rick] They gave him an amount that was reported at the time 526 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:12,398 at about $7 million. 527 00:29:12,482 --> 00:29:17,413 You know, it was just a really quick, really sharp break. 528 00:29:18,482 --> 00:29:21,329 [Kate] This investigation did not find any evidence of 529 00:29:21,413 --> 00:29:24,963 inappropriate sexual behavior, inappropriate relationships with children. 530 00:29:25,034 --> 00:29:26,334 Jerry, I'm going to push-- 531 00:29:26,379 --> 00:29:29,674 But it did find evidence of being abusive to others 532 00:29:29,758 --> 00:29:31,103 in the workplace. 533 00:29:43,241 --> 00:29:47,931 So to hear that he was gone was a good thing. 534 00:29:48,689 --> 00:29:50,965 It was a very good thing. It was a happy day. 535 00:29:53,379 --> 00:29:57,862 When everyone did come back, it was a much happier workplace. 536 00:29:59,172 --> 00:30:03,019 I remember reading that Dan was no longer 537 00:30:03,103 --> 00:30:05,329 going to be under contract at Nickelodeon, 538 00:30:05,413 --> 00:30:08,965 and I can remember exactly where I was. 539 00:30:09,758 --> 00:30:11,536 It didn't surprise me. 540 00:30:11,620 --> 00:30:15,758 They should have fired him a long time ago. 541 00:30:17,344 --> 00:30:19,019 [Kate] Dan is no longer at Nickelodeon, 542 00:30:19,103 --> 00:30:23,157 and he hasn't made a new TV show in a number of years. 543 00:30:23,241 --> 00:30:25,916 In 2021, he told The New York Times, kind of, 544 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,191 I'm ready to reemerge in children's television. 545 00:30:28,275 --> 00:30:30,674 I mean, I don't see how he comes back from it. 546 00:30:30,758 --> 00:30:34,502 I'm sure he wants to, but I don't see how it happens. 547 00:30:34,586 --> 00:30:39,862 Let's please collectively not let another Dan happen. 548 00:30:40,551 --> 00:30:42,950 Like, he cannot happen again. 549 00:30:43,034 --> 00:30:45,847 Like, this is not a joke. 550 00:30:45,931 --> 00:30:47,344 [Clicks tongue] 551 00:30:52,034 --> 00:30:53,709 A lot of his shows are still on the air, 552 00:30:53,793 --> 00:30:55,448 and they're still really popular. 553 00:30:56,379 --> 00:30:58,881 But those kids who grew up on Dan Schneider's sets 554 00:30:58,965 --> 00:31:00,433 and in the entertainment industry 555 00:31:00,517 --> 00:31:04,260 are adults now, and they are reexamining 556 00:31:04,344 --> 00:31:06,241 the world that they grew up in. 557 00:31:08,758 --> 00:31:12,448 [Alexa] Towards the end of season two of Zoey 101... 558 00:31:18,241 --> 00:31:20,916 I wasn't happy. 559 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:25,000 I actually could not show up to set anymore without crying. 560 00:31:25,896 --> 00:31:31,881 A lot of my self-worth was deeply damaged 561 00:31:31,965 --> 00:31:35,674 from that set experience. 562 00:31:35,758 --> 00:31:38,241 Me as a person was, like, altered for life. 563 00:31:40,965 --> 00:31:44,226 Being let go from The Amanda Show 564 00:31:44,310 --> 00:31:46,827 really broke my confidence big time. 565 00:31:47,793 --> 00:31:53,088 That was a very young lesson to learn in my career, 566 00:31:53,172 --> 00:31:55,847 is that everyone is replaceable. 567 00:31:55,931 --> 00:31:59,605 And it sent me down a really dark path. 568 00:31:59,689 --> 00:32:02,709 I had to really, like, pick myself back up 569 00:32:02,793 --> 00:32:05,295 and keep it moving in an industry 570 00:32:05,379 --> 00:32:10,847 that showed me very early on that it has no love for me at all. 571 00:32:10,931 --> 00:32:14,019 [Leon] Being a child star hurt me mentally 572 00:32:14,103 --> 00:32:15,916 and somewhat physically. 573 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,517 The alcoholism that I've dealt with, 574 00:32:19,793 --> 00:32:23,502 I believe, is a direct connection to the feelings that 575 00:32:23,586 --> 00:32:26,709 I have after leaving the industry 576 00:32:26,793 --> 00:32:29,551 and not being able to maintain the success that I had. 577 00:32:31,482 --> 00:32:33,916 [Katrina] After All That, I was burned out, 578 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,398 and I was excited for the next chapter. 579 00:32:36,482 --> 00:32:39,916 I was excited to maybe try college, 580 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:41,916 being normal a little bit. 581 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:47,674 But, you know, not everybody gets to be normal afterwards 582 00:32:47,758 --> 00:32:50,916 because you don't know what that looks like. 583 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,900 [Bryan] When I was on All That, it was a sweet experience, 584 00:32:53,931 --> 00:32:56,433 but the bittersweet, the bitter side of the 585 00:32:56,517 --> 00:32:59,260 bitter sweet was pretty bitter. 586 00:32:59,344 --> 00:33:01,778 There's a dark underbelly to child stardom. 587 00:33:01,862 --> 00:33:05,191 Children are just a dollar sign when they show up on set. 588 00:33:05,275 --> 00:33:08,157 Nobody's taking anyone's mental health serious, 589 00:33:08,241 --> 00:33:12,226 and that's completely unfortunate. 590 00:33:12,310 --> 00:33:14,984 I struggled with self-esteem issues. 591 00:33:15,068 --> 00:33:18,241 I struggled with beauty standards. 592 00:33:20,034 --> 00:33:22,295 'Cause I didn't feel accepted. 593 00:33:22,379 --> 00:33:23,551 There you go. 594 00:33:25,275 --> 00:33:29,674 It was a toxic environment and seeing how the show 595 00:33:29,758 --> 00:33:35,502 just kept on rolling and these people who were criminals 596 00:33:35,586 --> 00:33:37,536 were disappeared, 597 00:33:37,620 --> 00:33:41,778 it made me quite cynical about the reality of 598 00:33:41,862 --> 00:33:45,931 power dynamics and it made me trust people less. 599 00:33:46,896 --> 00:33:48,226 [All clamoring] 600 00:33:48,310 --> 00:33:50,260 [photographer] Drake, can you look right at this way, please? 601 00:33:50,344 --> 00:33:52,916 [Drake] Right after Drake and Josh, I was signed, 602 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,448 and then I released my second album. 603 00:33:57,275 --> 00:33:59,709 I made some really cool movies, 604 00:33:59,793 --> 00:34:02,674 but I would have stints of sobriety, 605 00:34:02,758 --> 00:34:04,448 and then I would... 606 00:34:06,586 --> 00:34:09,778 You know, the pressure would be too much, 607 00:34:09,862 --> 00:34:11,206 and... 608 00:34:12,275 --> 00:34:16,344 All of these demons that I had, um... 609 00:34:17,862 --> 00:34:20,448 Were very difficult to... 610 00:34:22,275 --> 00:34:24,364 To work through. 611 00:34:24,448 --> 00:34:29,157 And so I think a lot of my self-destructive behavior 612 00:34:29,241 --> 00:34:31,091 would always just be a temporary fix, 613 00:34:31,137 --> 00:34:32,837 and it would always creep back up. 614 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,000 I went through this bankruptcy and lost my house, and... 615 00:34:39,103 --> 00:34:41,674 I mean, it was absolutely devastating. 616 00:34:41,758 --> 00:34:43,053 Hey, what's up, Glenn? 617 00:34:43,137 --> 00:34:46,187 - Cory, can we get a picture, please? - Glenn, can we get a sign? 618 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:50,778 [Raquel] We can go on and on and on of child actors 619 00:34:50,862 --> 00:34:53,916 or child entertainers who had cameras 620 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,847 watching every single downfall. 621 00:34:56,931 --> 00:34:59,581 - Brittany. - Hello? Did you have fun in there, Brittany? 622 00:35:00,586 --> 00:35:02,847 Lindsay, do you have anything to say to Brittany? 623 00:35:02,931 --> 00:35:05,536 Look at what happens to these kids when they're spat out. 624 00:35:05,620 --> 00:35:08,120 - They end up quite sick. - [Indistinct conversation] 625 00:35:08,172 --> 00:35:10,743 They have issues with addiction. 626 00:35:10,827 --> 00:35:11,984 [Man] Eddie. 627 00:35:12,068 --> 00:35:12,916 How are you? 628 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:14,916 Aaron Carter. 629 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,847 [Man] One of those days, Aaron, you know? 630 00:35:16,931 --> 00:35:18,260 [Reporter] Amanda Bynes, arrested, hauled out of 631 00:35:18,344 --> 00:35:20,605 her midtown Manhattan apartment. 632 00:35:20,689 --> 00:35:22,467 [Reporter two] Arrested, allegedly smoking marijuana. 633 00:35:22,551 --> 00:35:25,053 [Reporter three] You just wonder, how low is the bottom? 634 00:35:25,137 --> 00:35:26,737 [Raquel] When I think of Amanda, 635 00:35:27,551 --> 00:35:29,019 it's like so painful. 636 00:35:29,103 --> 00:35:32,709 She was hospitalized for a mental health evaluation. 637 00:35:32,793 --> 00:35:35,916 [Raquel] Because we are talking about a very talented young woman. 638 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:41,172 Someone who had the entire world at her fingertips. 639 00:35:43,172 --> 00:35:46,847 Amanda Bynes is a very prototypical child star story. 640 00:35:46,931 --> 00:35:48,605 As she entered adulthood, it seemed like 641 00:35:48,689 --> 00:35:50,881 she was struggling with the transition. 642 00:35:50,965 --> 00:35:53,329 She had a lot of public mental health issues 643 00:35:53,413 --> 00:35:55,019 that tabloids covered. 644 00:35:55,103 --> 00:35:56,605 She ended up in a conservatorship 645 00:35:56,689 --> 00:35:59,827 with her parents, and that was very recently overturned. 646 00:36:01,896 --> 00:36:04,295 Child stars' relationships with their families often 647 00:36:04,379 --> 00:36:07,502 are starting from a place of discontent, 648 00:36:07,586 --> 00:36:09,950 and then they get worse. They don't have childhoods 649 00:36:10,034 --> 00:36:12,019 like kids are supposed to have. 650 00:36:12,103 --> 00:36:14,019 - [Photographer] And look up. - Okay, ready. 651 00:36:14,103 --> 00:36:16,253 [Drake] There was definitely a slow decline 652 00:36:16,275 --> 00:36:19,640 in my mental health and sobriety. 653 00:36:19,724 --> 00:36:21,950 I mean, DUIs, 654 00:36:22,034 --> 00:36:27,053 um, behaviors that were happening 655 00:36:27,137 --> 00:36:28,517 because I was... 656 00:36:30,482 --> 00:36:32,916 I... I was lost. 657 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:36,536 [Reporter] Nickelodeon's Drake Bell is arrested in California, 658 00:36:36,620 --> 00:36:38,674 accused of driving under the influence. 659 00:36:38,758 --> 00:36:41,158 Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell was convicted 660 00:36:41,172 --> 00:36:43,241 and sentenced for child endangerment. 661 00:36:44,241 --> 00:36:46,916 [Scaachi] Drake Bell pled guilty to charges related 662 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,674 to inappropriate text messages he sent to a minor, 663 00:36:49,758 --> 00:36:53,088 but he was not charged for doing anything physical. 664 00:36:53,172 --> 00:36:55,364 He was sentenced to two years of probation 665 00:36:55,448 --> 00:36:57,655 and 200 hours of community service. 666 00:36:59,172 --> 00:37:00,916 [Drake] I took responsibility for that. 667 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,364 You know, I did what was asked of me. 668 00:37:03,448 --> 00:37:07,448 But the media grabbed ahold of so much misinformation, 669 00:37:08,137 --> 00:37:12,019 and it absolutely destroyed me. 670 00:37:12,103 --> 00:37:15,881 And I started to spin out of control. 671 00:37:15,965 --> 00:37:18,329 [Reporter] Actor Drake Bell has been reported missing. 672 00:37:18,413 --> 00:37:21,502 Police say they are deeply concerned for his well-being. 673 00:37:21,586 --> 00:37:24,551 If I had continued down that path, that... 674 00:37:27,034 --> 00:37:28,758 Could very likely... 675 00:37:29,862 --> 00:37:33,206 Be the end of my story. 676 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:44,965 [Soft music playing] 677 00:37:48,344 --> 00:37:49,794 [Drake] I was at rock bottom. 678 00:37:52,172 --> 00:37:55,724 And so I checked into treatment. 679 00:37:57,275 --> 00:38:00,260 And I got to go through a lot of trauma therapy, 680 00:38:00,344 --> 00:38:02,310 a lot of grief therapy, 681 00:38:03,172 --> 00:38:05,778 and be surrounded by 682 00:38:05,862 --> 00:38:07,448 people who, 683 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,551 for the first time in a long time... 684 00:38:24,793 --> 00:38:27,206 [Sighs] ...wanted to just see me get better. 685 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,551 [Giovannie] For child actors, if you're not protected, 686 00:38:40,172 --> 00:38:41,655 it'll turn into chaos. 687 00:38:45,448 --> 00:38:48,433 There's gotta be more support in terms of counseling, 688 00:38:48,517 --> 00:38:50,758 mental health, wellness checks. 689 00:38:51,965 --> 00:38:53,502 [Kyle] Kids are still at risk. 690 00:38:53,586 --> 00:38:58,916 The law does not cover everyone operating on a set 691 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:03,812 because that's an environment where either a studio teacher 692 00:39:03,896 --> 00:39:07,260 or a parent is legally required to be within 693 00:39:07,344 --> 00:39:09,916 sight or sound of the kid at all times. 694 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:11,709 That's just not enough. 695 00:39:11,793 --> 00:39:17,398 Someone who has a criminal record as a child sex offender 696 00:39:17,482 --> 00:39:21,226 can find their way into this position, 697 00:39:21,310 --> 00:39:24,551 that loophole in the law should be closed. 698 00:39:28,862 --> 00:39:33,157 Most people actually financially reward 699 00:39:33,241 --> 00:39:37,226 these industries without knowing what's actually happening, 700 00:39:37,310 --> 00:39:38,965 you know, behind the scenes. 701 00:39:40,034 --> 00:39:42,295 It unfortunately takes the people that witnessed it 702 00:39:42,379 --> 00:39:46,068 and experienced it to speak up to really change it. 703 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,674 My hope is that with every voice that comes out, 704 00:39:51,758 --> 00:39:53,137 something changes. 705 00:39:55,379 --> 00:39:56,950 Maybe today's the day. 706 00:39:57,034 --> 00:39:58,398 I don't know. 707 00:39:58,482 --> 00:40:02,965 When people ask me, am I going to put my kids into acting, 708 00:40:03,689 --> 00:40:08,965 I literally have zero, zero thought 709 00:40:09,896 --> 00:40:11,413 before my no. 710 00:40:16,482 --> 00:40:19,260 [Drake] I'm often asked the question, "You grew up in the business 711 00:40:19,344 --> 00:40:22,241 and is this a good place for kids? And... 712 00:40:24,551 --> 00:40:28,364 And, you know, it's such a, a hard question to answer 713 00:40:28,448 --> 00:40:33,191 because I wanted nothing more in life, 714 00:40:33,275 --> 00:40:34,758 but to get on stage. 715 00:40:36,586 --> 00:40:39,571 There is so much in this industry 716 00:40:39,655 --> 00:40:42,931 that you have to be cautious of, 717 00:40:43,965 --> 00:40:44,965 but... 718 00:40:46,689 --> 00:40:52,433 Would I want the experiences that I've had, 719 00:40:52,517 --> 00:40:56,517 the good experiences that I've had, ripped away from me? 720 00:41:00,896 --> 00:41:02,295 I don't know what the answer is 721 00:41:02,379 --> 00:41:03,743 and I don't have the power to do it, 722 00:41:03,827 --> 00:41:07,433 but I would love to be able to create an environment where 723 00:41:07,517 --> 00:41:10,206 we're not so vulnerable 724 00:41:11,655 --> 00:41:14,172 and susceptible to... 725 00:41:15,689 --> 00:41:17,137 Outside dangers. 726 00:41:18,482 --> 00:41:21,000 [Soft music playing] 727 00:41:24,586 --> 00:41:27,053 It's just, it's really hard going back 728 00:41:27,137 --> 00:41:28,655 over these old memories. 729 00:41:40,103 --> 00:41:41,655 [Man] Oh, well, you know what? 730 00:41:43,241 --> 00:41:44,862 There's better days ahead of us. 731 00:41:45,965 --> 00:41:47,950 [Drake] Yeah, I keep hearing that. 732 00:41:48,034 --> 00:41:50,413 [Man] Yeah, well, keep listening to it. 733 00:41:59,551 --> 00:42:09,364 [Soft music playing]