Melissa Joan Hart is the latest former Nickelodeon star to break their silence on the shocking Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV docuseries.
Appearing on the Meghan McCain Has Entered The Chat podcast, the 47-year-old, who shot to fame on Clarissa Explains It All in 1991, said that she had a ‘wonderful experience’ at the network.
‘I don’t know other people’s experiences and I’m not negating anything anybody else says,’ she stressed.
‘I’ve never been told these people’s stories that are in the [documentary]. And I have to say, I’ve never heard a story from a Nickelodeon star personally, nobody’s come to me and talked to me about any of these situations,’ she continued.
She added, ‘I absolutely trust them, believe them, one hundred per cent.’
Hart explained that she was in Orlando with Nickelodeon from 1989 to 1994, and that she thinks that there ‘may have been a difference between Hollywood Nickelodeon and Orlando Nickelodeon’.
‘In Orlando I had nothing but a wonderful experience,’ she said, before admitting that ‘they did work the kids a lot harder than they probably legally should’.
She clarified, ‘We had a ton of fun, it was just long hours, that’s all – because I had to do school and the show.’
Despite the long hours, Hart insisted that she felt completely supported by the entire cast and crew.
‘I was surrounded by an amazing crew, an incredible cast that took such good care of me. I mean, these people were protective of me,’ she emphasized.
Hart explained that her mother ‘left her alone a lot’, but insisted that she still felt ‘very protected and very safe’ on set without her mom around.
‘I have to say, not every egg in the Nickelodeon basket is rotten. There were some good eggs – there were some people that really took care of me.’
She added, ‘To be honest, a few of them are still my very best friends. From the producers down to the sound guys all took care of me and we were a wonderful family.’
Amanda Bynes was reportedly approached to tell her story on the Quiet On Set documentary – but declined the offer as she did not have a bad experience.
The former actress, 37, and her parents were allegedly asked to do an interview about her experience as a child star but all decided to opt out, according to a report by TMZ on Friday.
The insider added that Bynes — who was seen recently in disturbing footage as a bikini-clad 16-year-old in a hot tub with alleged abuser Dan Schneider — is grateful for Nickelodeon as it launched her acting career.
For that reason, a source told the outlet that Bynes, who rose to fame as a cast member on the hit children’s variety show All That on Nickelodeon, turned down the offer because she felt she did not have anything to contribute to the cause.
The source also told the outlet that Bynes has not watched the documentary, which dives into the untold story of the toxic and abusive environment inside ’90s kids TV from the perspective of former child stars and crew members and debuted on Sunday.
As for her mother Lynn Organ and father Rick Bynes, the source told the outlet that they did watch the documentary and were ‘saddened and disgusted’ by the allegations.
They reportedly turned down the request to interview because they are private people, who wanted to stay out of the spotlight.
Despite their refusal to an interview, Bynes is still a focal point of the series as one episode focuses on the former child actress and how she was discovered at the Laugh Factory in the ’90s.
The source alleged that Bynes and her family did not have the same experience as some of the other child actors at the network.
Bynes previously appeared on Nickelodeon kids sketch comedy series All That from 1996 to 2000.
She went on to star on her own spin-off series The Amanda Show from 1999 to 2002 and later on rose to fame as the leading characters in teen rom-coms.
Her former co-star on the show, Drake Bell, recently revealed ‘brutal, unspeakable abuse’ he experienced at the network and claimed he was abused by dialogue coach Brian Peck.
Bells’ former co-star Josh Peck — who is of no relation to Brian Peck but also worked with them on The Amanda Show — broke his silence recently about the docuseries to show his support to his former castmate.
Since her child star days, Bynes has overcome a series of issues in her personal life, including a nine-year conservatorship, and has retired from acting for a career in cosmetology.
She struggled with mental health problems and was placed in a conservatorship, which her parents agreed to terminate in 2022.
At the time the conservatorship was instated in 2013, her parents told the court they were concerned that their then-27-year-old daughter was at risk of hurting herself or others if they did not assume control of her medical care and finances.
Paying no mind to the virality of the docuseries on Friday, Bynes — who was seen on a rare outing in Los Angeles earlier this week for the first time since the shocking documentary was released — posted a selfie with her pal Liam Poulsen on Instagram. The pair were seen wearing matching black T-shirts and posing inside of a parked car.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
