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Melissa Joan Hart “one hundred percent” believes the allegations made against Nickelodeon in the “Quiet on Set” documentary despite having a “wonderful experience” at the network herself.
Hart, 47, told Meghan McCain on Thursday that while she hasn’t seen the doc — which details the abuse Drake Bell suffered at the hands of voice coach Brian Peck — she fully supports those who came forward.
“I absolutely trust them, believe them, one hundred percent,” Hart, who started her career on “Clarissa Explains It All” in 1991, said on the “Meghan McCain Has Entered The Chat” podcast.
However, the “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” star noted that she never heard any similar horror stories herself while working at the network as a teen.
Melissa Joan Hart has nothing but fond memories from her time at Nickelodeon. ©Nickelodeon Network/Courtesy Everett Collection Despite having a “wonderful” time working for the network, Hart fully supports the victims who came forward about their experiences in “Quiet on Set.” “I absolutely trust them, believe them, one hundred percent,” Hart said on the “Meghan McCain Has Entered The Chat” podcast.“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, no one’s come to me and talked to me about any of these situations,” she continued.
Along with Bell, several other former child stars and employees spoke out on showrunner Dan Schneider’s alleged inappropriate behavior on set — including allegations of sexism and racism.
Hart explained that she worked at the Orlando Nickelodeon rather than the Hollywood one, where most of the alleged abuse took place. Everett Collection / Everett Collection She also started her career at the network a decade before the alleged incidents occurred. ©Nickelodeon Network/Courtesy Everett Co / Everett CollectionHart noted that most of the alleged issues took place at the Hollywood filming location while she was stationed in Orlando from 1989 to 1994.
“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” due to the state’s child labor laws.
“We had a ton of fun, it was just long hours, that’s all — because I had to do school and the show,” she continued.
The “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” star said she never heard of similar issues on her set. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images In fact, she felt very protected and “safe.”While working on the show was time-consuming, Hart was surrounded by “an amazing crew” and “an incredible cast” that took “such good care” of her.
“I mean, these people were protective of me,” she emphasized, noting that she felt “very safe” in their care.
“So I don’t know if it was the difference in Orlando, or the time period or whoever these guys were they weren’t around but I have to say not every egg in the Nickelodeon basket is rotten.”
While Hart left the network in the mid-’90s, Peck began sexually assaulting the then-15-year-old Bell in the early 2000s.
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The “Drake & Josh” star sued Peck in 2004 for sexual abuse; however, he remained anonymous in the lawsuit. The voice coach pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
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Listen to our weekly “We Hear” podcast Shop our exclusive merchSince the documentary dropped earlier this month, several former Nickelodeon stars have come forward about their own experiences with the network’s staff members — some positive and some not.
On Wednesday, Kenan Thompson told Tamon Hall on her eponymous talk show that he “wasn’t really aware of a lot of” the documentary’s revelations because they happened after he left.
Similarly to Hart, Kenan Thompson recently revealed that he looks back at his time with the network fondly. Tamron Hall Show/YouTube “I think it’s a good thing that the doc is out and is putting things on display that need to be — stories that need to be told for accountability sake,” he told Tamron Hall on Wednesday. Tamron Hall/YoutubeHowever, the “All That” alum urged the network to “investigate more” and added that his “heart [went] out to anybody that’s been victimized.”
“I think it’s a good thing that the doc is out and is putting things on display that need to be — stories that need to be told for accountability sake,” he said. “But it’s definitely tough to watch because I have fond memories of that place.”
“I have fond memories of my co-stars and stuff like that, so, to hear that they’ve gone through terrible things like that, it’s just, it’s really tough,” Thompson continued.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
