1 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:10,060 [soft music playing] 2 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:34,170 [Drake Bell] Back then... 3 00:00:34,170 --> 00:00:36,680 It was a different time, so I think it was 4 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:38,890 a little easier to go to and from a courthouse 5 00:00:38,890 --> 00:00:42,270 and not worry about Twitter 6 00:00:42,270 --> 00:00:45,480 that night or TMZ paparazzi's being there. 7 00:00:47,370 --> 00:00:49,890 On the day of sentencing for Brian, 8 00:00:49,890 --> 00:00:52,000 I get to the courthouse. 9 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:53,370 [scoffs] 10 00:00:53,370 --> 00:00:55,440 It was the most unbelievable thing I'd ever seen. 11 00:00:59,060 --> 00:01:02,860 His entire side of the courtroom 12 00:01:04,100 --> 00:01:05,170 was full. 13 00:01:07,510 --> 00:01:09,270 Full. 14 00:01:09,270 --> 00:01:11,680 There were definitely some recognizable faces 15 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:13,790 on that side of the room. 16 00:01:13,790 --> 00:01:16,000 And my side was... 17 00:01:17,060 --> 00:01:21,170 me, my mom, and my brother. 18 00:01:23,270 --> 00:01:28,480 Brian had been convicted, but getting all of this support 19 00:01:28,550 --> 00:01:31,240 from a lot of people in the industry and... 20 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:34,170 Yeah, I was pretty shocked. 21 00:01:40,790 --> 00:01:42,960 My mom got up. She had a statement. 22 00:01:43,890 --> 00:01:46,680 I wasn't going to address Brian. 23 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,130 There was no reason to. 24 00:01:52,620 --> 00:01:55,790 I addressed my statement to everyone in the room. 25 00:01:55,790 --> 00:01:57,440 I looked at all of them. 26 00:01:59,820 --> 00:02:01,650 And I just said, "How dare you?" 27 00:02:04,620 --> 00:02:05,890 And I said, 28 00:02:08,270 --> 00:02:13,270 "You will forever have the memory of sitting in 29 00:02:13,340 --> 00:02:16,890 this courtroom and defending this person. 30 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:24,270 And I will forever have the memory of the person 31 00:02:24,270 --> 00:02:27,890 you're defending violating me... 32 00:02:31,270 --> 00:02:36,240 and doing unspeakable acts and crimes. 33 00:02:39,060 --> 00:02:40,750 And that's what I'll remember." 34 00:02:42,580 --> 00:02:45,750 [opening theme music playing] 35 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:57,680 [Kate] In the end, Brian pleads no contest 36 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,440 to two charges of child sexual abuse. 37 00:03:08,580 --> 00:03:12,370 And the judge sentences him to 16 months in jail 38 00:03:12,370 --> 00:03:15,580 and ordered him to register as a sex offender. 39 00:03:16,580 --> 00:03:21,270 But we wanted to understand who in Hollywood 40 00:03:21,270 --> 00:03:23,270 was supporting Brian through this. 41 00:03:23,340 --> 00:03:26,000 So we petitioned the court to unseal 42 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:27,860 the letters of support in this case. 43 00:03:28,790 --> 00:03:31,890 Letters of support are meant to influence the judge 44 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:33,170 during the sentencing. 45 00:03:33,170 --> 00:03:35,890 In this case, most of them are asking 46 00:03:35,890 --> 00:03:38,030 the judge just to give Brian probation. 47 00:03:39,100 --> 00:03:41,580 These 41 letters have been kept under seal 48 00:03:41,580 --> 00:03:43,270 for two decades. 49 00:03:43,270 --> 00:03:46,000 Some are from family, some are from friends. 50 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,370 Dan Schneider does not write a letter. 51 00:03:48,370 --> 00:03:50,790 Top executives at Nickelodeon do not write letters, 52 00:03:50,790 --> 00:03:53,580 but some are from Hollywood insiders. 53 00:03:53,650 --> 00:03:55,790 You have the actor James Marsden. 54 00:03:55,860 --> 00:03:59,650 He writes in the letter, [reading line] 55 00:04:02,580 --> 00:04:06,580 James Marsden writes that he's known Brian Peck for 14 years, 56 00:04:06,650 --> 00:04:08,890 since Marsden himself was a teenager. 57 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,480 Taran Killam also wrote a letter of support. 58 00:04:12,550 --> 00:04:15,370 He writes, "I've seen the effects this situation 59 00:04:15,370 --> 00:04:17,790 has had on Brian, and I know for a fact that 60 00:04:17,860 --> 00:04:19,750 he regrets any mistakes made." 61 00:04:20,790 --> 00:04:23,100 Some other people who wrote letters of support 62 00:04:23,100 --> 00:04:27,000 include the famous sitcom dad, Alan Thicke. 63 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,370 The X-Men producer, Tom DeSanto. 64 00:04:35,370 --> 00:04:39,170 Ron Melendez, another very well-known actor. 65 00:04:40,930 --> 00:04:43,890 Rider Strong wrote a letter of support for Brian. 66 00:04:45,170 --> 00:04:48,030 And Will Friedle from Boy Meets World. 67 00:04:50,820 --> 00:04:55,580 We don't know exactly what these people were told about 68 00:04:55,650 --> 00:04:57,580 Brian's crimes before they wrote the letters. 69 00:04:57,580 --> 00:05:00,580 And we don't know which of these people, if any, 70 00:05:00,650 --> 00:05:03,370 were in the courtroom for Brian's sentencing. 71 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:07,580 But these letters show how strong the support 72 00:05:07,580 --> 00:05:11,240 for Brian Peck was with people with industry connections. 73 00:05:14,060 --> 00:05:17,680 Outside of these individuals, there were over a dozen 74 00:05:17,750 --> 00:05:19,890 other letter writers who used similar language 75 00:05:19,890 --> 00:05:22,580 to blame the victim, saying that this 76 00:05:22,580 --> 00:05:26,890 wouldn't have happened unless Brian was tempted. 77 00:05:26,890 --> 00:05:30,000 Joanna Kerns, who met Brian when she was acting 78 00:05:30,030 --> 00:05:33,480 on Growing Pains, wrote, "I can only believe that 79 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:37,170 there must have been some extreme situation or temptation 80 00:05:37,170 --> 00:05:40,060 exerted upon him to influence his actions." 81 00:05:49,620 --> 00:05:51,790 Kimmy Robertson is an actress. 82 00:05:51,790 --> 00:05:55,000 She wrote, [reading line] 83 00:06:00,310 --> 00:06:04,000 This logic is just victim-blaming. 84 00:06:04,030 --> 00:06:07,060 When this minor suffered at the hands of an adult 85 00:06:07,130 --> 00:06:11,440 who was in a very senior, almost parental position to them. 86 00:06:17,580 --> 00:06:20,680 There are people who worked with Brian and Drake 87 00:06:20,750 --> 00:06:21,680 on The Amanda Show, 88 00:06:21,750 --> 00:06:23,270 like the director, Rich Correll, 89 00:06:23,270 --> 00:06:26,100 and the stage manager, Beth Correll. 90 00:06:26,100 --> 00:06:27,170 Rich says that, 91 00:06:27,170 --> 00:06:30,170 "it would be my pleasure to work with him again." 92 00:06:30,820 --> 00:06:35,000 In fact, Brian Peck does end up working with the Corrells again 93 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,270 on the Disney Channel show, Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 94 00:06:42,170 --> 00:06:46,000 It shows that there are not enough protections in place 95 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:51,370 to keep even convicted sexual predators off of kids' TV shows. 96 00:07:07,790 --> 00:07:11,680 [Anne] In 2005, there was another case. 97 00:07:11,750 --> 00:07:15,370 Ezell Channel, a worker at the Nickelodeon lot 98 00:07:15,370 --> 00:07:18,680 in Burbank, he brought a child to the lot, 99 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:25,370 a boy, and was convicted of abusing that child on the lot. 100 00:07:25,370 --> 00:07:29,060 He actually had prior convictions as a sex offender, 101 00:07:29,060 --> 00:07:30,960 and Nickelodeon didn't catch it. 102 00:07:31,890 --> 00:07:33,680 Jason Michael Handy, 103 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:35,270 Brian Peck, 104 00:07:35,270 --> 00:07:37,060 and then Ezell Channel. 105 00:07:37,060 --> 00:07:40,580 These are three predators who worked at Nickelodeon, 106 00:07:40,650 --> 00:07:42,240 all in a short amount of time. 107 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,790 [Kate] Around this time, Nickelodeon did expand its policy 108 00:07:47,860 --> 00:07:49,890 around background checks to include freelancers. 109 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,170 When you look at having multiple child predators 110 00:07:55,170 --> 00:07:59,170 who worked at Nickelodeon, it raises some confusing questions 111 00:07:59,170 --> 00:08:01,750 on who to hold accountable. 112 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,580 I don't think that you can blame Schneider 113 00:08:06,580 --> 00:08:10,170 for hiring Brian Peck because he was not 114 00:08:10,170 --> 00:08:13,000 a registered sex offender when he hired him. 115 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:18,680 Drake very explicitly does not blame Dan for any of this. 116 00:08:18,750 --> 00:08:21,890 But it's clear that the system needs to look at 117 00:08:21,890 --> 00:08:24,170 if it is doing enough to protect children. 118 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:28,100 Oh, that's not so bad. 119 00:08:28,100 --> 00:08:30,370 -It's not so bad? -No, it's all right. 120 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,240 [Kate] After these arrests, Nickelodeon only grows. 121 00:08:34,580 --> 00:08:37,170 Hey. Thank you for being here. 122 00:08:37,170 --> 00:08:39,790 -[indistinct chatter] -[woman] Jamie, this way! 123 00:08:39,860 --> 00:08:42,370 It was actually my first time acting on TV, 124 00:08:42,370 --> 00:08:44,270 so it's really fun for me. 125 00:08:44,270 --> 00:08:48,170 The mid-2000s is somewhat of a golden era for Nickelodeon. 126 00:08:48,170 --> 00:08:50,790 There is a spate of popular new shows. 127 00:08:50,790 --> 00:08:54,370 Dan Schneider is helping launch a new era of breakout stars. 128 00:08:55,100 --> 00:08:57,270 Jamie Lynn Spears in Zoey 101. 129 00:08:57,340 --> 00:08:58,480 -Zoey! -Hi! 130 00:08:58,480 --> 00:08:59,680 Hi! 131 00:08:59,750 --> 00:09:01,580 [Scaachi] Victoria Justice in Victorious. 132 00:09:01,650 --> 00:09:03,480 Just let me... [screams] 133 00:09:03,550 --> 00:09:05,790 Ariana Grande, who we now know 134 00:09:05,860 --> 00:09:10,680 as a very famous pop star, and Jeanette McCurdy in Sam and Cat. 135 00:09:10,750 --> 00:09:13,060 I am really smart. 136 00:09:13,130 --> 00:09:17,000 This is also the time that Drake and Josh really takes off. 137 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,270 If you've got a tween to a teen in the house, 138 00:09:19,270 --> 00:09:21,000 then you know Drake and Josh. 139 00:09:21,030 --> 00:09:22,790 People know you from the Drake and Josh Show 140 00:09:22,790 --> 00:09:25,480 on Nickelodeon, hugely popular. 141 00:09:25,550 --> 00:09:27,680 [Scaachi] Nickelodeon is making a lot of money, 142 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:31,000 and Dan Schneider is becoming even more successful 143 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,680 and more powerful, an even bigger name in his own right. 144 00:09:34,750 --> 00:09:37,270 His shows are cultural juggernauts, 145 00:09:37,270 --> 00:09:40,000 especially iCarly starring Miranda Cosgrove. 146 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,580 I'm Carly Shay, and this is our very first webcast 147 00:09:42,580 --> 00:09:44,580 of a little show we call iCarly. 148 00:09:44,580 --> 00:09:46,890 If you've got a child aged nine to 12, 149 00:09:46,890 --> 00:09:49,370 or even a daughter like mine who's 14, 150 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:52,580 chances are she's watched Nickelodeon's iCarly. 151 00:09:52,580 --> 00:09:54,580 It is a ratings blockbuster. 152 00:09:54,650 --> 00:09:56,370 -[all laughing] -[man] And that's our show! 153 00:09:56,370 --> 00:09:58,060 [all cheering] 154 00:09:58,060 --> 00:10:00,580 It hit at just a particular cultural moment. 155 00:10:00,580 --> 00:10:02,370 It was the early years of the Internet. 156 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,790 iCarly is this Internet show. 157 00:10:04,860 --> 00:10:07,550 It felt cutting edge to teenagers who saw it. 158 00:10:08,930 --> 00:10:10,890 This is pre-YouTube generation. 159 00:10:10,890 --> 00:10:13,480 So there was also this component of real life 160 00:10:13,550 --> 00:10:17,060 that I think hit people in a way that his other shows didn't. 161 00:10:17,060 --> 00:10:20,550 And because it did, it just exploded. 162 00:10:21,310 --> 00:10:23,100 At one point, they did an episode 163 00:10:23,100 --> 00:10:25,000 where Michelle Obama shows up on it. 164 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,170 I'm on iCarly! 165 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:29,480 With the success of iCarly, Dan is able to 166 00:10:29,550 --> 00:10:32,790 consolidate power at Nickelodeon in a whole new way. 167 00:10:32,860 --> 00:10:34,890 And this is around the time that the Disney Channel 168 00:10:34,890 --> 00:10:37,680 starts truly competing with Nickelodeon. 169 00:10:37,750 --> 00:10:40,270 They had massive hits like Hannah Montana 170 00:10:40,340 --> 00:10:42,890 and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 171 00:10:42,890 --> 00:10:45,890 So as Nickelodeon is facing all of this competition, 172 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:47,440 Dan is their answer. 173 00:10:48,790 --> 00:10:52,790 It really launches Dan into this whole new level of stardom. 174 00:10:52,790 --> 00:10:55,580 [reporter] He's Dan Schneider, a man with a gift, 175 00:10:55,580 --> 00:10:58,100 the gift of knowing what is funny to people of 176 00:10:58,100 --> 00:11:01,790 a certain age, say, 12 or nine. 177 00:11:01,790 --> 00:11:05,480 What do you got going that other folks aren't figuring out? 178 00:11:05,550 --> 00:11:08,890 For one thing, I am always trying to outdo 179 00:11:08,890 --> 00:11:10,100 the last thing that I did. 180 00:11:10,100 --> 00:11:11,310 Fred Wad. 181 00:11:12,930 --> 00:11:15,580 [Rick] Dan Schneider was always really tech-savvy. 182 00:11:15,580 --> 00:11:16,890 He loves technology. 183 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:20,370 And so when the web started becoming popular, 184 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,000 he was one of the first people out there, you know, 185 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:24,480 doing videos. 186 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,680 [Dan] Oh, she almost sits, but she fakes out the cameraman, which is me. 187 00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:31,170 [Rick] Posting videos on social media and original stuff. 188 00:11:31,170 --> 00:11:33,270 Some of these seem pretty innocuous, 189 00:11:33,270 --> 00:11:36,060 where it's Dan recording the editing bay. 190 00:11:36,060 --> 00:11:38,680 [Dan] I'm in the editing room of iCarly, 191 00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:40,480 and we're working on the next episode. 192 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:42,000 Okay, take one. 193 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:43,170 [Kate] Or the writer's room. 194 00:11:43,170 --> 00:11:45,000 [Dan] Okay, this is Dan Schneider. 195 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,890 I'm here with some of the iCarly writers. 196 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:48,100 Hello, iCarly writers. 197 00:11:48,100 --> 00:11:51,890 But in these videos, you can really see the power play 198 00:11:51,890 --> 00:11:53,890 between him and his cast. 199 00:11:53,890 --> 00:11:57,890 It's a lot of him getting into people's physical space, 200 00:11:57,890 --> 00:12:02,550 and you can see palpable discomfort on people's faces. 201 00:12:03,620 --> 00:12:05,580 [Dan whispers] Trying to scare Jeanette. 202 00:12:05,580 --> 00:12:07,680 [Scaachi] There's one video in particular where Dan 203 00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:09,550 creeps behind Jeanette 204 00:12:11,510 --> 00:12:13,170 -[Dan yells] -[screams] 205 00:12:13,170 --> 00:12:15,060 [Scaachi] It scares her. 206 00:12:15,060 --> 00:12:17,370 My gosh, that scared me so much. 207 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:19,370 But she can't say, I didn't like that, 208 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:22,580 or she can't not have a sense of humor about it, 209 00:12:22,650 --> 00:12:24,060 and she can't not play with it, 210 00:12:24,130 --> 00:12:25,270 because she has to. 211 00:12:25,340 --> 00:12:27,270 -[screams] -Oh. 212 00:12:27,270 --> 00:12:29,170 You have to be nice, because that's the only way 213 00:12:29,170 --> 00:12:30,580 that you're gonna get through. 214 00:12:30,580 --> 00:12:33,060 -Whoo! -[all laughing] 215 00:12:35,510 --> 00:12:39,000 For Dan, it was about power at that point. 216 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,790 And when you are someone who wants more and more power, 217 00:12:43,820 --> 00:12:46,340 eventually you're gonna fly too close to the sun. 218 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:54,750 One, two, three! 219 00:12:54,750 --> 00:12:56,680 [Dan] The kid audience is definitely my bread and butter. 220 00:12:56,750 --> 00:12:58,100 I mean, that's what I'm paid to do. 221 00:12:58,100 --> 00:13:02,170 I'm paid to get kids all the way from six to 14 222 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:03,170 glued to TV sets. 223 00:13:03,170 --> 00:13:05,170 That's my goal. That's the sweet spot. 224 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,680 [Kate] By the late 2000s, Dan had more control than 225 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:13,270 pretty much any showrunner at Nickelodeon. 226 00:13:13,340 --> 00:13:15,580 He had created his own little fiefdom. 227 00:13:15,580 --> 00:13:18,000 [Dan] All right, we're getting ready to fly. 228 00:13:18,030 --> 00:13:21,170 [Scaachi] But his style had a little bit of edge in it. 229 00:13:21,170 --> 00:13:23,750 It also really pushed the boundaries of sexualizing 230 00:13:23,820 --> 00:13:25,100 young girls. 231 00:13:25,100 --> 00:13:26,480 It's so cold! 232 00:13:26,550 --> 00:13:28,060 Wanna get slapped with a sausage? 233 00:13:29,410 --> 00:13:30,750 Sure. 234 00:13:30,750 --> 00:13:34,060 [Kate] There are jokes about being slapped with a sausage. 235 00:13:34,060 --> 00:13:36,000 There's a joke about being on the wood. 236 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,370 I want to be on the wood. What's the wood? I want to be on it. 237 00:13:38,370 --> 00:13:41,480 You have actors shaking weights in a way 238 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,000 that seems very clearly sexual. 239 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,000 And these actors, for the most part, are minors. 240 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,750 ♪ Gonna make it on my own 241 00:13:49,750 --> 00:13:52,170 Another of Dan's shows, Zoey 101, 242 00:13:52,170 --> 00:13:54,890 is this high school boarding school, 243 00:13:54,890 --> 00:13:57,580 California experience. 244 00:13:57,650 --> 00:14:00,370 I was 12 years old when I started Zoey 101. 245 00:14:00,370 --> 00:14:03,680 Ooh, cute boy to the left, green shirt, backpack. 246 00:14:03,750 --> 00:14:07,100 When I look back at it, my character 247 00:14:07,100 --> 00:14:09,030 was there for the boys. 248 00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:16,370 Nicole was the archetype of male gaze female, 249 00:14:16,370 --> 00:14:19,480 where she was girly, very short, 250 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:21,550 short skirts and pink. 251 00:14:22,580 --> 00:14:24,860 Like kid eye candy. 252 00:14:24,860 --> 00:14:27,480 How about this top? You like this top? 253 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,060 It makes me look chesty. 254 00:14:29,130 --> 00:14:31,170 We don't need to be hyper-conservative of bodies, 255 00:14:31,170 --> 00:14:35,370 but that didn't represent even me as a girl at that age. 256 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:39,370 [costumer] Definitely Dan liked cute, pretty, flirty. 257 00:14:40,270 --> 00:14:45,170 I worked in the wardrobe department on Zoey 101. 258 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:47,000 I always thought that Dan had a little bit of 259 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,790 an arrested development, and he was like that boy that 260 00:14:49,790 --> 00:14:52,060 wanted the cute girl to like him. 261 00:14:52,130 --> 00:14:55,000 I cannot believe I have two book reports due in one month. 262 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,860 [Scaachi] You put these girls in bikinis 263 00:14:56,860 --> 00:14:58,580 and bathing suits, which is fine. 264 00:14:58,650 --> 00:15:01,790 I think teenage girls should feel free to wear whatever they'd like. 265 00:15:01,790 --> 00:15:05,370 But when you are using nubile sexuality 266 00:15:05,370 --> 00:15:09,960 as a marketing tool, that's where it gets sticky. 267 00:15:12,310 --> 00:15:18,170 One of the most disturbing memories that I have 268 00:15:18,170 --> 00:15:21,370 would probably be the backpack episode 269 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:23,370 with Jamie Lynn Spears. 270 00:15:23,370 --> 00:15:24,750 You just bite the tip. 271 00:15:24,820 --> 00:15:27,890 There are these goo pops, and my character 272 00:15:27,890 --> 00:15:29,240 can't get it open. 273 00:15:29,930 --> 00:15:30,890 It's not coming out. 274 00:15:30,890 --> 00:15:32,060 And it ends up... 275 00:15:33,580 --> 00:15:36,860 squirting onto Jamie's face. 276 00:15:39,750 --> 00:15:45,370 So the prop person comes onto set with a syringe. 277 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,860 We all, like, stood behind the camera to watch. 278 00:15:51,790 --> 00:15:53,860 It lands on her face. 279 00:15:55,750 --> 00:15:58,480 So first it was Dan roaring, laughing, 280 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:00,860 and then everyone kind of giggling. 281 00:16:02,790 --> 00:16:06,060 We heard the boys saying, "It's a [bleep] shot." 282 00:16:08,370 --> 00:16:10,130 And I had no idea... 283 00:16:12,510 --> 00:16:14,060 what that meant. 284 00:16:14,060 --> 00:16:15,890 Once I saw it again as an adult 285 00:16:15,890 --> 00:16:17,750 was when that memory came back. 286 00:16:17,750 --> 00:16:22,000 I was like, "Oh, oh, oh, oh." 287 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:23,060 Wasn't funny. 288 00:16:23,130 --> 00:16:25,000 It still isn't funny to me, to be honest. 289 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,750 It's just like, that's a kid. 290 00:16:27,820 --> 00:16:31,340 And she was on set that day and... 291 00:16:36,790 --> 00:16:38,860 Sorry. Just as a mom, like, 292 00:16:41,100 --> 00:16:44,650 If my daughter was ever put in the... It's gross. 293 00:16:46,100 --> 00:16:47,440 Like, there's just... 294 00:16:48,580 --> 00:16:53,030 It's appalling behavior on all the adults' behalf that day. 295 00:16:54,370 --> 00:16:58,270 In my mind, a kids' show should be 296 00:16:58,270 --> 00:16:59,890 exactly what it is, a kids' show. 297 00:16:59,890 --> 00:17:03,060 And sometimes there were scenes where there was a prop 298 00:17:03,130 --> 00:17:04,860 that was like... 299 00:17:04,860 --> 00:17:06,480 What's he doing? 300 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:10,170 Hmm, that could be a sexual innuendo. 301 00:17:10,170 --> 00:17:11,270 Those are good ones. 302 00:17:11,340 --> 00:17:12,890 Mmm. 303 00:17:12,890 --> 00:17:16,060 [Alexa] Dan went overboard and just zoomed in too often on the feet. 304 00:17:16,060 --> 00:17:18,000 Wow, they're really soft. 305 00:17:18,030 --> 00:17:21,680 Zoomed in too often on the tongue licking things 306 00:17:21,750 --> 00:17:24,240 or something that just went too far. 307 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:27,580 [woman] Was anyone able to say anything or is that like... 308 00:17:27,580 --> 00:17:31,860 Oh, no, no. This is, it's Dan's baby. 309 00:17:31,930 --> 00:17:34,000 Dan was Nickelodeon's golden boy. 310 00:17:35,170 --> 00:17:37,060 And even if he and the network were at odds, 311 00:17:37,060 --> 00:17:39,170 he had the power to push back. 312 00:17:39,170 --> 00:17:42,480 It was very hard to say anything to him. 313 00:17:42,550 --> 00:17:46,170 And his show, Victorious, took this to a whole new level. 314 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:48,860 With that show, there were online extras that 315 00:17:48,930 --> 00:17:51,890 the network did not fully know how to deal with. 316 00:17:51,890 --> 00:17:54,270 Time for your nap, tomatoes. 317 00:17:54,270 --> 00:17:58,060 In some of them, you see Ariana putting tomatoes in a bra. 318 00:17:59,790 --> 00:18:01,170 Check this out. 319 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:03,890 [Kate] There are several scenes with Ariana Grande 320 00:18:03,890 --> 00:18:07,370 that are really I think almost difficult to see 321 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:09,240 as anything but sexual watching them now. 322 00:18:10,100 --> 00:18:13,440 Mmm, I'm thirsty. 323 00:18:15,100 --> 00:18:16,480 [squeals] 324 00:18:18,170 --> 00:18:21,000 -[grunts] -[Scaachi] She's effectively massaging 325 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:21,890 a potato. 326 00:18:21,890 --> 00:18:24,480 Come on, give up the juice. 327 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:25,750 [Scaachi] That's a little... [chuckles] 328 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:28,580 [bleep] shaped perhaps. 329 00:18:28,580 --> 00:18:31,480 We're adults, so we know what's going on, 330 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:32,790 but this is a show for kids. 331 00:18:32,790 --> 00:18:34,000 So... 332 00:18:34,030 --> 00:18:37,480 who is sexual innuendo for on a kids show? 333 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:39,580 Help me up on this thing. 334 00:18:39,580 --> 00:18:43,060 It's legal and there's nothing actionable about it, 335 00:18:43,060 --> 00:18:44,170 Just lift me. 336 00:18:44,170 --> 00:18:47,370 ...but there is a nebulousness around it, 337 00:18:47,370 --> 00:18:49,480 but it's morally murky. 338 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:51,580 At the end of the day, I love it when the cast gets 339 00:18:51,580 --> 00:18:54,580 sassy with me because I get to write all the scripts 340 00:18:54,580 --> 00:18:56,000 with some very talented writers, 341 00:18:56,030 --> 00:18:57,480 but I get to, I can put them in 342 00:18:57,480 --> 00:18:59,370 any horrible predicament I choose. 343 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:03,680 You can touch their hair, you can take a picture with them, 344 00:19:03,750 --> 00:19:06,370 you can ask them personal questions, 345 00:19:06,370 --> 00:19:08,930 inappropriate ones, whatever you want to do. 346 00:19:11,100 --> 00:19:16,480 Dan, he behaved in a way that was pretty concerning 347 00:19:16,550 --> 00:19:19,170 and problematic, especially when it comes to women, 348 00:19:19,170 --> 00:19:21,550 and how he treated people as a boss on set. 349 00:19:23,790 --> 00:19:26,370 [costumer] Something that was always really uncomfortable 350 00:19:27,100 --> 00:19:31,580 was walking onto set and seeing who Dan 351 00:19:31,580 --> 00:19:33,930 had talked into giving him a massage. 352 00:19:35,100 --> 00:19:38,170 It was almost always a female and it was often one 353 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,270 from the wardrobe department. 354 00:19:40,270 --> 00:19:41,860 It was humiliating. 355 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,370 I remember one time sitting next to a colleague 356 00:19:47,370 --> 00:19:50,170 and she got a text from him saying, 357 00:19:50,170 --> 00:19:52,340 "Come and massage me on the set." 358 00:19:53,270 --> 00:19:56,270 and she said, "My God, doesn't he know I'm doing 359 00:19:56,270 --> 00:19:57,680 two shows? 360 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:00,000 I'm so busy," and I could see that 361 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,790 she was distraught, but she went anyway. 362 00:20:03,790 --> 00:20:07,270 It definitely felt like a form of sexual harassment. 363 00:20:07,270 --> 00:20:08,860 There was always someone massaging him. 364 00:20:08,860 --> 00:20:14,000 That's, like, all I remember was some person on set 365 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:15,370 massaging that guy. 366 00:20:15,370 --> 00:20:19,170 Dan was asking for this incredibly inappropriate thing 367 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:21,000 for almost two decades. 368 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,270 He was asking people at work to touch him. 369 00:20:24,270 --> 00:20:27,270 Everyone knew it, from New York to California. 370 00:20:27,270 --> 00:20:29,480 So who would we go to? 371 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:33,270 Who could we possibly go to to complain about this? 372 00:20:33,270 --> 00:20:35,680 [Rick] Nickelodeon could have been there 373 00:20:35,750 --> 00:20:38,480 to be a buffer more than they were. 374 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:42,480 And I don't think the network was ever close to doing that. 375 00:20:42,550 --> 00:20:45,370 Why wouldn't anybody do anything? Why didn't they stop him? 376 00:20:45,370 --> 00:20:46,750 [indistinct chatter] 377 00:20:46,750 --> 00:20:49,480 It felt like somebody needed to rein him in, 378 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:51,030 and he wasn't reined in. 379 00:20:58,130 --> 00:21:00,750 [upbeat music playing] 380 00:21:00,750 --> 00:21:04,370 [Kate] In 2014, we have the Kids' Choice Awards. 381 00:21:04,370 --> 00:21:05,750 [all cheering] 382 00:21:05,750 --> 00:21:08,550 This is Nickelodeon's big night to celebrate their stars. 383 00:21:08,550 --> 00:21:10,580 [Ariana] As far as award shows or anything goes, 384 00:21:10,580 --> 00:21:12,960 Nickelodeon always does it the funnest, you know what I mean? 385 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:16,270 Nickelodeon is known for being fun and messy and gross. 386 00:21:16,270 --> 00:21:20,240 It's also the awards where Dan is being celebrated. 387 00:21:20,310 --> 00:21:22,440 I'm happy to be here to honor Dan. 388 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,680 He's created so many amazing shows. 389 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,860 Dan Schneider wins his Lifetime Achievement Award. 390 00:21:27,930 --> 00:21:31,060 [Kate] He is surrounded by so many different people from all his shows. 391 00:21:31,060 --> 00:21:32,790 They're talking about how great he is. 392 00:21:32,790 --> 00:21:34,030 Thank you, Dan. 393 00:21:34,030 --> 00:21:35,790 You're an inspiration! 394 00:21:35,790 --> 00:21:39,370 Speaking about how key he was to their careers. 395 00:21:39,370 --> 00:21:42,650 You not only changed all of our lives, 396 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:44,340 you changed Kids TV. 397 00:21:46,370 --> 00:21:49,960 But there is one person that does not show up. 398 00:21:50,750 --> 00:21:52,790 And that is Jeanette McCurdy, 399 00:21:52,790 --> 00:21:55,030 who was the co-star on Sam and Cat. 400 00:21:55,890 --> 00:21:58,680 People were just thinking, "Oh, that's odd." 401 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:02,860 She's one of the primary people on one of his shows. 402 00:22:02,930 --> 00:22:05,650 She's been with this guy forever. 403 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:07,130 Why is she not there? 404 00:22:11,790 --> 00:22:13,790 [Scaachi] Eight years later, Jeanette McCurdy publishes 405 00:22:13,790 --> 00:22:16,340 a memoir about her life as a child star, 406 00:22:16,410 --> 00:22:19,750 about the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her mother. 407 00:22:19,750 --> 00:22:24,340 But the memoir also answers a lot of really complicated questions 408 00:22:24,410 --> 00:22:28,060 about working as a child actor and about Dan Schneider, 409 00:22:28,060 --> 00:22:30,750 who she began working with around age 13. 410 00:22:30,750 --> 00:22:33,170 You pull back the curtain on child stardom. 411 00:22:33,170 --> 00:22:36,860 -It is not a pretty picture. -Not as I see it, no. 412 00:22:36,860 --> 00:22:39,100 [Scaachi] In Jeanette's memoir, she writes about 413 00:22:39,100 --> 00:22:41,480 an unnamed television show creator, 414 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:43,340 and a lot of people have speculated that 415 00:22:43,340 --> 00:22:45,790 that person is Dan Schneider. 416 00:22:45,790 --> 00:22:48,000 She writes, "I feel like The Creator 417 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:49,480 has two distinct sides. 418 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:52,440 One is generous and over-the-top complimentary. 419 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,550 The other side is mean-spirited, 420 00:22:54,620 --> 00:22:57,000 controlling, and terrifying." 421 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,650 She's also talked in a podcast about how this treatment felt abusive. 422 00:23:00,650 --> 00:23:03,240 There was a very abusive producer on that show, 423 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:04,960 and that would not have gone well 424 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:06,860 if I tried to communicate that to him. 425 00:23:06,930 --> 00:23:09,860 "He'll call people idiots, buffoons, stupid, 426 00:23:09,930 --> 00:23:14,340 dumb, sloppy, careless, and spineless. 427 00:23:14,410 --> 00:23:17,200 The creator knows how to make someone feel worthless." 428 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,240 [indistinct on-set chatter] 429 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,820 [Kate] Dan's treatment of people on his shows was an open secret. 430 00:23:30,270 --> 00:23:32,860 For the crew, if you messed up, 431 00:23:32,860 --> 00:23:34,370 even if it was a minor mistake, 432 00:23:34,370 --> 00:23:36,960 Dan would be someone who would be willing to humiliate you 433 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:38,550 or fire you on the spot. 434 00:23:40,340 --> 00:23:44,060 [Rick] The description I got from someone was that everything 435 00:23:44,060 --> 00:23:48,750 that Dan Schneider did is a DEFCON 10 event. 436 00:23:48,750 --> 00:23:51,960 Dan Schneider was convinced that everything that he did, 437 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,240 the, quote, "Passion of the way he reacted 438 00:23:55,310 --> 00:23:56,750 and the way that he approached people," 439 00:23:56,750 --> 00:23:58,440 that's what made this magic happen. 440 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:00,170 That's what made these shows a success. 441 00:24:01,890 --> 00:24:06,790 [Scaachi] Culturally, we are still doing the tortured genius routine. 442 00:24:06,790 --> 00:24:10,100 So if a guy's a total piece of [bleep], 443 00:24:10,100 --> 00:24:13,860 he must be so good at his job. [chuckles] 444 00:24:15,030 --> 00:24:16,650 [Jennette] There's a lot of abuse that happens. 445 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:19,890 I mean, even talking about it now, my face gets hot. 446 00:24:19,890 --> 00:24:21,340 You know, he'd say things like, 447 00:24:21,410 --> 00:24:23,580 "You would work at Yogurtland if you didn't work for me." 448 00:24:23,580 --> 00:24:25,030 And he would just scream. 449 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:31,030 [Kate] Jeanette's experience gets a lot worse on Sam and Cat. 450 00:24:32,790 --> 00:24:36,200 And this is happening at the same time Jeanette's mom dies. 451 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:41,580 [Kate] She took less than a week break from filming. 452 00:24:41,580 --> 00:24:44,240 And her quick return is something that people on set 453 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,440 told us that they were disturbed by. 454 00:24:48,130 --> 00:24:51,000 [Rick] The situation got so stressful on the set of Sam and Cat. 455 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,550 Nickelodeon launched an internal investigation. 456 00:24:54,620 --> 00:24:57,440 [Kate] I learned that Dan is seen as kind of contributing 457 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,550 to this toxic culture that is happening 458 00:25:00,620 --> 00:25:04,240 and that is really making this show a difficult place 459 00:25:04,310 --> 00:25:05,580 for many people to work. 460 00:25:05,580 --> 00:25:08,170 [all laughing] 461 00:25:08,170 --> 00:25:10,340 [Kate] After the investigation, Dan Schneider 462 00:25:10,410 --> 00:25:13,860 was no longer allowed to really interact with the cast anymore. 463 00:25:13,860 --> 00:25:17,790 Dan has always been such a hands-on showrunner, 464 00:25:17,790 --> 00:25:23,000 so for Dan, this is the biggest punishment you can imagine. 465 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,000 [Rick] When you look at the industry as a whole, this never happens. 466 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,000 You would be hard-pressed to find another show 467 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,750 where they're saying, "Look, we don't trust the guy 468 00:25:31,750 --> 00:25:32,890 running the show 469 00:25:32,890 --> 00:25:36,340 to deal with people in a humane way." 470 00:25:36,340 --> 00:25:39,170 But they also don't want to get rid of him. 471 00:25:39,170 --> 00:25:41,170 He creates hits. 472 00:25:41,170 --> 00:25:43,130 There's money to be made. 473 00:25:43,130 --> 00:25:46,370 [Scaachi] Dan Schneider can get away with it because he's Dan Schneider. 474 00:25:46,370 --> 00:25:49,000 And powerful people in the entertainment space 475 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,750 will make allowances for anybody who is successful. 476 00:25:53,030 --> 00:25:56,000 Until something happens that you cannot ignore. 477 00:26:10,060 --> 00:26:11,650 [dramatic music playing] 478 00:26:17,270 --> 00:26:21,000 In 2017, three years after Dan is banned from working 479 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:24,650 directly with his own actors on the set of Sam and Cat, 480 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,860 he's back on set at Nickelodeon with two new shows, 481 00:26:27,930 --> 00:26:29,860 Henry Danger and Game Shakers. 482 00:26:29,860 --> 00:26:32,680 I booked you a massage with the massage squad. 483 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:34,890 But around this time, something has shifted 484 00:26:34,890 --> 00:26:38,550 culturally around workplace harassment and toxicity. 485 00:26:38,620 --> 00:26:40,580 [reporter 1] Millions of women across the country 486 00:26:40,580 --> 00:26:42,960 -using the hashtag MeToo. - [reporter 2] MeToo. 487 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:44,270 [reporter 3] The MeToo phenomenon. 488 00:26:44,270 --> 00:26:45,860 [reporter 4] Several allegations of sexual harassment 489 00:26:45,930 --> 00:26:46,890 against Harvey Weinstein. 490 00:26:46,890 --> 00:26:48,240 [reporter 5 ] This morning, Kevin Spacey, 491 00:26:48,310 --> 00:26:50,370 -Undersire, - [reporter 6] R. Kelly, Bill Cosby. 492 00:26:50,370 --> 00:26:52,860 [reporter 7] The MeToo movement exploding overnight. 493 00:26:52,930 --> 00:26:54,930 [reporter 8] And the accusations just keep coming. 494 00:26:57,060 --> 00:27:00,130 [costumer] I decided I'd had enough when the MeToo movement 495 00:27:00,130 --> 00:27:05,750 made it okay to talk about hostile work environments. 496 00:27:07,270 --> 00:27:11,060 I felt like I could finally call up my union 497 00:27:11,060 --> 00:27:14,000 and let them know that there had been some stuff 498 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,000 going on that it was inappropriate that 499 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,960 he asked for massages from females weekly 500 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,550 if not daily and this is not right. 501 00:27:23,550 --> 00:27:25,130 Something has to be done. 502 00:27:26,130 --> 00:27:29,550 The union representative said I wasn't the only one 503 00:27:29,550 --> 00:27:33,100 who had shown my shock and displeasure that 504 00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:34,440 this was allowed to go on. 505 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:38,750 And that they were looking into it. 506 00:27:42,790 --> 00:27:44,750 A lot of rumors were circulating around 507 00:27:44,750 --> 00:27:48,410 Dan Schneider, and these really exploded online. 508 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,440 In 2017, Nickelodeon launches yet 509 00:27:53,510 --> 00:27:56,440 another investigation into Dan Schneider. 510 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:58,480 It's not because they have a smoking gun, 511 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:00,650 it's because the Me Too movement has helped us 512 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:04,000 sort of rethink and reevaluate what we think is appropriate 513 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:05,720 and not appropriate in the workplace. 514 00:28:07,030 --> 00:28:10,550 And then my supervisor actually called me 515 00:28:10,620 --> 00:28:11,860 and told me that... 516 00:28:14,060 --> 00:28:16,030 yeah, Dan wouldn't be coming back. 517 00:28:31,890 --> 00:28:36,790 [Kate] For Dan to be ousted from Nickelodeon is a huge shock. 518 00:28:36,790 --> 00:28:39,310 He did not see this coming. 519 00:28:40,890 --> 00:28:43,960 [Rick] He issues a couple statements, basically, 520 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:45,240 "Oh, you know, I need some time off. 521 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,440 I'm just, you know, I'm working on my life." 522 00:28:57,030 --> 00:28:59,000 [Kate] But behind the scenes. 523 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:03,030 Nickelodeon literally changes the locks of this place 524 00:29:03,030 --> 00:29:04,860 that he turned into an empire. 525 00:29:08,170 --> 00:29:11,000 [Rick] They gave him an amount that was reported at the time 526 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:12,480 at about $7 million. 527 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:17,410 You know, it was just a really quick, really sharp break. 528 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:21,340 [Kate] This investigation did not find any evidence of 529 00:29:21,410 --> 00:29:25,030 inappropriate sexual behavior, inappropriate relationships with children. 530 00:29:25,030 --> 00:29:26,370 Jerry, I'm going to push-- 531 00:29:26,370 --> 00:29:29,750 But it did find evidence of being abusive to others 532 00:29:29,750 --> 00:29:31,100 in the workplace. 533 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:47,930 So to hear that he was gone was a good thing. 534 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:50,960 It was a very good thing. It was a happy day. 535 00:29:53,370 --> 00:29:57,860 When everyone did come back, it was a much happier workplace. 536 00:29:59,170 --> 00:30:03,100 I remember reading that Dan was no longer 537 00:30:03,100 --> 00:30:05,340 going to be under contract at Nickelodeon, 538 00:30:05,410 --> 00:30:08,960 and I can remember exactly where I was. 539 00:30:09,750 --> 00:30:11,550 It didn't surprise me. 540 00:30:11,620 --> 00:30:15,750 They should have fired him a long time ago. 541 00:30:17,340 --> 00:30:19,100 [Kate] Dan is no longer at Nickelodeon, 542 00:30:19,100 --> 00:30:23,240 and he hasn't made a new TV show in a number of years. 543 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:26,000 In 2021, he told The New York Times, kind of, 544 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,270 I'm ready to reemerge in children's television. 545 00:30:28,270 --> 00:30:30,750 I mean, I don't see how he comes back from it. 546 00:30:30,750 --> 00:30:34,580 I'm sure he wants to, but I don't see how it happens. 547 00:30:34,580 --> 00:30:39,860 Let's please collectively not let another Dan happen. 548 00:30:40,550 --> 00:30:43,030 Like, he cannot happen again. 549 00:30:43,030 --> 00:30:45,860 Like, this is not a joke. 550 00:30:45,930 --> 00:30:47,340 [clicks tongue] 551 00:30:52,030 --> 00:30:53,790 A lot of his shows are still on the air, 552 00:30:53,790 --> 00:30:55,440 and they're still really popular. 553 00:30:56,370 --> 00:30:58,960 But those kids who grew up on Dan Schneider's sets 554 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:00,440 and in the entertainment industry 555 00:31:00,510 --> 00:31:04,340 are adults now, and they are reexamining 556 00:31:04,340 --> 00:31:06,240 the world that they grew up in. 557 00:31:08,750 --> 00:31:12,440 [Alexa] Towards the end of season two of Zoey 101... 558 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,000 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 00:31:25,890 --> 00:31:31,960 A lot of my self-worth was deeply damaged 561 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:35,750 from that set experience. 562 00:31:35,750 --> 00:31:38,240 Me as a person was, like, altered for life. 563 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:44,240 Being let go from The Amanda Show 564 00:31:44,310 --> 00:31:46,820 really broke my confidence big time. 565 00:31:47,790 --> 00:31:53,170 That was a very young lesson to learn in my career, 566 00:31:53,170 --> 00:31:55,860 is that everyone is replaceable. 567 00:31:55,930 --> 00:31:59,680 And it sent me down a really dark path. 568 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:02,790 I had to really, like, pick myself back up 569 00:32:02,790 --> 00:32:05,370 and keep it moving in an industry 570 00:32:05,370 --> 00:32:10,860 that showed me very early on that it has no love for me at all. 571 00:32:10,930 --> 00:32:14,100 [Leon] Being a child star hurt me mentally 572 00:32:14,100 --> 00:32:16,000 and somewhat physically. 573 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,510 The alcoholism that I've dealt with, 574 00:32:19,790 --> 00:32:23,580 I believe, is a direct connection to the feelings that 575 00:32:23,580 --> 00:32:26,790 I have after leaving the industry 576 00:32:26,790 --> 00:32:29,550 and not being able to maintain the success that I had. 577 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:34,000 [Katrina] After All That, I was burned out, 578 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,480 and I was excited for the next chapter. 579 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:40,000 I was excited to maybe try college, 580 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,000 being normal a little bit. 581 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:47,750 But, you know, not everybody gets to be normal afterwards 582 00:32:47,750 --> 00:32:51,000 because you don't know what that looks like. 583 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,860 [Bryan] When I was on All That, it was a sweet experience, 584 00:32:53,930 --> 00:32:56,440 but the bittersweet, the bitter side of the 585 00:32:56,510 --> 00:32:59,340 bitter sweet was pretty bitter. 586 00:32:59,340 --> 00:33:01,860 There's a dark underbelly to child stardom. 587 00:33:01,860 --> 00:33:05,270 Children are just a dollar sign when they show up on set. 588 00:33:05,270 --> 00:33:08,240 Nobody's taking anyone's mental health serious, 589 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:12,240 and that's completely unfortunate. 590 00:33:12,310 --> 00:33:15,060 I struggled with self-esteem issues. 591 00:33:15,060 --> 00:33:18,240 I struggled with beauty standards. 592 00:33:20,030 --> 00:33:22,370 'Cause I didn't feel accepted. 593 00:33:22,370 --> 00:33:23,550 There you go. 594 00:33:25,270 --> 00:33:29,750 It was a toxic environment and seeing how the show 595 00:33:29,750 --> 00:33:35,580 just kept on rolling and these people who were criminals 596 00:33:35,580 --> 00:33:37,550 were disappeared, 597 00:33:37,620 --> 00:33:41,860 it made me quite cynical about the reality of 598 00:33:41,860 --> 00:33:45,930 power dynamics and it made me trust people less. 599 00:33:46,890 --> 00:33:48,240 [all clamoring] 600 00:33:48,310 --> 00:33:50,340 [photographer] Drake, can you look right at this way, please? 601 00:33:50,340 --> 00:33:53,000 [Drake] Right after Drake and Josh, I was signed, 602 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,440 and then I released my second album. 603 00:33:57,270 --> 00:33:59,790 I made some really cool movies, 604 00:33:59,790 --> 00:34:02,750 but I would have stints of sobriety, 605 00:34:02,750 --> 00:34:04,440 and then I would... 606 00:34:06,580 --> 00:34:09,860 You know, the pressure would be too much, 607 00:34:09,860 --> 00:34:11,200 and... 608 00:34:12,270 --> 00:34:16,340 all of these demons that I had, um... 609 00:34:17,860 --> 00:34:20,440 were very difficult to... 610 00:34:22,270 --> 00:34:24,440 to work through. 611 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:29,240 And so I think a lot of my self-destructive behavior 612 00:34:29,240 --> 00:34:31,130 would always just be a temporary fix, 613 00:34:31,130 --> 00:34:32,720 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 00:34:39,100 --> 00:34:41,750 I mean, it was absolutely devastating. 616 00:34:41,750 --> 00:34:43,130 Hey, what's up, Glenn? 617 00:34:43,130 --> 00:34:45,550 -Cory, can we get a picture, please? -Glenn, can we get a sign? 618 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:50,860 [Raquel] We can go on and on and on of child actors 619 00:34:50,860 --> 00:34:54,000 or child entertainers who had cameras 620 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,860 watching every single downfall. 621 00:34:56,930 --> 00:34:59,340 -Brittany. -Hello? Did you have fun in there, Brittany? 622 00:35:00,580 --> 00:35:02,860 Lindsay, do you have anything to say to Brittany? 623 00:35:02,930 --> 00:35:05,550 Look at what happens to these kids when they're spat out. 624 00:35:05,620 --> 00:35:08,170 -They end up quite sick. -[indistinct conversation] 625 00:35:08,170 --> 00:35:10,750 They have issues with addiction. 626 00:35:10,820 --> 00:35:12,060 [man] Eddie. 627 00:35:12,060 --> 00:35:13,000 How are you? 628 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:15,000 Aaron Carter. 629 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,860 [man] One of those days, Aaron, you know? 630 00:35:16,930 --> 00:35:18,340 [reporter] Amanda Bynes, arrested, hauled out of 631 00:35:18,340 --> 00:35:20,680 her midtown Manhattan apartment. 632 00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:22,550 [reporter 2] Arrested, allegedly smoking marijuana. 633 00:35:22,550 --> 00:35:24,440 [reporter 3] You just wonder, how low is the bottom? 634 00:35:25,130 --> 00:35:26,650 [Raquel] When I think of Amanda, 635 00:35:27,550 --> 00:35:29,100 it's like so painful. 636 00:35:29,100 --> 00:35:32,790 She was hospitalized for a mental health evaluation. 637 00:35:32,790 --> 00:35:36,000 [Raquel] Because we are talking about a very talented young woman. 638 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:41,170 Someone who had the entire world at her fingertips. 639 00:35:43,170 --> 00:35:46,860 Amanda Bynes is a very prototypical child star story. 640 00:35:46,930 --> 00:35:48,680 As she entered adulthood, it seemed like 641 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:50,960 she was struggling with the transition. 642 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:53,340 She had a lot of public mental health issues 643 00:35:53,410 --> 00:35:55,100 that tabloids covered. 644 00:35:55,100 --> 00:35:56,680 She ended up in a conservatorship 645 00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:59,820 with her parents, and that was very recently overturned. 646 00:36:01,890 --> 00:36:04,370 Child stars' relationships with their families often 647 00:36:04,370 --> 00:36:07,580 are starting from a place of discontent, 648 00:36:07,580 --> 00:36:10,030 and then they get worse. They don't have childhoods 649 00:36:10,030 --> 00:36:12,100 like kids are supposed to have. 650 00:36:12,100 --> 00:36:14,100 -[photographer] And look up. -Okay, ready. 651 00:36:14,100 --> 00:36:16,270 [Drake] There was definitely a slow decline 652 00:36:16,270 --> 00:36:19,650 in my mental health and sobriety. 653 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:22,030 I mean, DUIs, 654 00:36:22,030 --> 00:36:27,130 um, behaviors that were happening 655 00:36:27,130 --> 00:36:28,510 because I was... 656 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:32,960 I... I was lost. 657 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:36,550 [reporter] Nickelodeon's Drake Bell is arrested in California, 658 00:36:36,620 --> 00:36:38,750 accused of driving under the influence. 659 00:36:38,750 --> 00:36:41,170 Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell was convicted 660 00:36:41,170 --> 00:36:43,240 and sentenced for child endangerment. 661 00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:47,000 [Scaachi] Drake Bell pled guilty to charges related 662 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,750 to inappropriate text messages he sent to a minor, 663 00:36:49,750 --> 00:36:53,170 but he was not charged for doing anything physical. 664 00:36:53,170 --> 00:36:55,440 He was sentenced to two years of probation 665 00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:57,650 and 200 hours of community service. 666 00:36:59,170 --> 00:37:01,000 [Drake] I took responsibility for that. 667 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,440 You know, I did what was asked of me. 668 00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:07,440 But the media grabbed ahold of so much misinformation, 669 00:37:08,130 --> 00:37:12,100 and it absolutely destroyed me. 670 00:37:12,100 --> 00:37:15,960 And I started to spin out of control. 671 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:18,340 [reporter] Actor Drake Bell has been reported missing. 672 00:37:18,410 --> 00:37:21,580 Police say they are deeply concerned for his well-being. 673 00:37:21,580 --> 00:37:24,550 If I had continued down that path, that... 674 00:37:27,030 --> 00:37:28,750 could very likely... 675 00:37:29,860 --> 00:37:33,200 be the end of my story. 676 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:44,960 [soft music playing] 677 00:37:48,340 --> 00:37:49,750 [Drake] I was at rock bottom. 678 00:37:52,170 --> 00:37:55,720 And so I checked into treatment. 679 00:37:57,270 --> 00:38:00,340 And I got to go through a lot of trauma therapy, 680 00:38:00,340 --> 00:38:02,310 a lot of grief therapy, 681 00:38:03,170 --> 00:38:05,860 and be surrounded by 682 00:38:05,860 --> 00:38:07,440 people who, 683 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,550 for the first time in a long time... 684 00:38:24,790 --> 00:38:27,200 [sighs] ...wanted to just see me get better. 685 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,550 [Giovannie] For child actors, if you're not protected, 686 00:38:40,170 --> 00:38:41,650 it'll turn into chaos. 687 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:48,440 There's gotta be more support in terms of counseling, 688 00:38:48,510 --> 00:38:50,750 mental health, wellness checks. 689 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:53,580 [Kyle] Kids are still at risk. 690 00:38:53,580 --> 00:38:59,000 The law does not cover everyone operating on a set 691 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:03,890 because that's an environment where either a studio teacher 692 00:39:03,890 --> 00:39:07,340 or a parent is legally required to be within 693 00:39:07,340 --> 00:39:10,000 sight or sound of the kid at all times. 694 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:11,790 That's just not enough. 695 00:39:11,790 --> 00:39:17,480 Someone who has a criminal record as a child sex offender 696 00:39:17,480 --> 00:39:21,240 can find their way into this position, 697 00:39:21,310 --> 00:39:24,550 that loophole in the law should be closed. 698 00:39:28,860 --> 00:39:33,240 Most people actually financially reward 699 00:39:33,240 --> 00:39:37,240 these industries without knowing what's actually happening, 700 00:39:37,310 --> 00:39:38,960 you know, behind the scenes. 701 00:39:40,030 --> 00:39:42,370 It unfortunately takes the people that witnessed it 702 00:39:42,370 --> 00:39:46,060 and experienced it to speak up to really change it. 703 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,750 My hope is that with every voice that comes out, 704 00:39:51,750 --> 00:39:53,130 something changes. 705 00:39:55,370 --> 00:39:57,030 Maybe today's the day. 706 00:39:57,030 --> 00:39:58,480 I don't know. 707 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:02,960 When people ask me, am I going to put my kids into acting, 708 00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:08,960 I literally have zero, zero thought 709 00:40:09,890 --> 00:40:11,410 before my no. 710 00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:19,340 [Drake] I'm often asked the question, "You grew up in the business 711 00:40:19,340 --> 00:40:22,240 and is this a good place for kids? And... 712 00:40:24,550 --> 00:40:28,440 and, you know, it's such a, a hard question to answer 713 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:33,270 because I wanted nothing more in life, 714 00:40:33,270 --> 00:40:34,750 but to get on stage. 715 00:40:36,580 --> 00:40:39,650 There is so much in this industry 716 00:40:39,650 --> 00:40:42,930 that you have to be cautious of, 717 00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:44,960 but... 718 00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:52,440 would I want the experiences that I've had, 719 00:40:52,510 --> 00:40:56,510 the good experiences that I've had, ripped away from me? 720 00:41:00,890 --> 00:41:02,370 I don't know what the answer is 721 00:41:02,370 --> 00:41:03,750 and I don't have the power to do it, 722 00:41:03,820 --> 00:41:07,440 but I would love to be able to create an environment where 723 00:41:07,510 --> 00:41:10,200 we're not so vulnerable 724 00:41:11,650 --> 00:41:14,170 and susceptible to... 725 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:17,130 outside dangers. 726 00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:21,000 [soft music playing] 727 00:41:24,580 --> 00:41:27,130 It's just, it's really hard going back 728 00:41:27,130 --> 00:41:28,650 over these old memories. 729 00:41:40,100 --> 00:41:41,650 [man] Oh, well, you know what? 730 00:41:43,240 --> 00:41:44,860 There's better days ahead of us. 731 00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:48,030 [Drake] Yeah, I keep hearing that. 732 00:41:48,030 --> 00:41:50,410 [man] Yeah, well, keep listening to it. 733 00:41:59,550 --> 00:42:09,440 [soft music playing] 734 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:19,440 ♪ 735 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:29,650 ♪