Joey Lawrence shares how he survived the ‘dark side’ of early fame as ‘90s child stars allege abuse

Joey Lawrence is grateful that he survived the “dark side” of early fame as a multitude of ‘90s child stars have spoken out as of late, alleging abuse at the hands of network superiors. 

“So certainly in our industry — in the ‘80s and ‘90s, especially — a lot of stuff went down that was not OK. You see a lot of these people talking about it today,” the former kid actor-turned-teen heartthrob, now 47, tells Page Six in an exclusive new interview. 

The actor — who rose to fame on the ’80s show “Gimme a Break!” and the ’90s hit “Blossom” — notes that he was “very lucky” to avoid any unsavory interactions in the biz, adding that his parents were “always around” to keep him and his famous siblings safe. 

Joey Lawrence tells Page Six how he survived the “dark side” of early fame as a multitude of ’90s child stars have alleged abuse at the hands of network superiors. Page Six “So certainly in our industry — in the ‘80s and ‘90s, especially — a lot of stuff went down that was not OK,” the former child actor-turned-teen heartthrob acknowledges. ©Touchstone Television/Courtesy Everett Collection

“My parents were with me the whole time, so there were moments and they were averted because my parents were right there,” he says of his mother, Donna Lawrence, and father, Joseph Lawrence Sr.

Joey — who starred on the sitcom “Brotherly Love” in his late teens alongside younger brothers Matthew Lawrence, now 44, and Andy Lawrence, now 36 — emphasizes that any shady on-set characters knew that would not be “able to get away with anything” with their mom and dad around. 

“I was very close with my family. We went everywhere together and I had that support system,” he tells us. “And it was sort of this impervious wall surrounding me at those very vulnerable moments, you know? I’m very grateful for that.”

Lawrence appeared on the Disney-produced NBC sitcom “Brotherly Love” for two seasons from 1995 until 1997. ©Touchstone Television/Courtesy Everett Collection In his late teens at the time, the actor starred on the series alongside younger brothers Matthew and Andy. ©Touchstone Television/Courtesy Everett Collection

Lawrence’s reflections on his experience as an adolescent actor come after Nickelodeon alum Drake Bell — among other former child stars who worked for the network — alleged they were abused on set and behind closed doors in ID’s “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” docuseries, which premiered Monday. 

Bell, 37, for his part, revealed that he was the child actor who was sexually abused by Brian Peck, the acting and dialogue coach sentenced to a 16-month jail sentence in 2004 for such crimes.

Peck’s crimes, along with their impact on Bell, are explored in “Quiet on Set,” though his associations with the cast of Disney Channel’s juggernaut hit “Boy Meets World” are not. 

Joey says his parents were “always around,” keeping him and his siblings safe from shady showbiz characters. ©Touchstone Television/Courtesy Everett Collection “It was sort of this impervious wall surrounding me at those very vulnerable moments, you know?” says Lawrence, pictured here around age 7. Getty Images

Series stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong were among the many actors to defend Peck in court, a choice that Bell has publicly condemned.

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Last month, however, Friedle, Strong claimed in a “Pod Meets World” podcast episode with castmate Danielle Fishel that they had been groomed by Peck — seemingly using that as an excuse for why they supported him in court.

Lawrence’s reflections on his experience as an adolescent actor come after Nickelodeon alum Drake Bell — plus more former network stars — alleged they were abused on set and behind closed doors in ID’s “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” docuseries ID Bell revealed that he was the child actor who was sexually abused by Brian Peck, the acting and dialogue coach sentence to a 16-month jail sentence in 2004 for such crimes.  Investigation Discovery

“Will was 27 years old and Brian told him what he did. Many people turned away and said no I won’t write a letter but they did. Will was not manipulated,” Bell wrote in an Instagram comment, responding to a user who asserted that Friedle, now 47, and Strong, now 44, were “victims” of Pecks’ as well. 

He added in a separate comment that Strong was “24 years old when he wrote the letter and was told by Brian what he did,” pointing out that — like Friedle — the Disney Channel graduate “wrote the letter anyway.”

Joey’s middle brother, Matthew, starred on “Boy Meets World” for some time, providing space for the Lawrence brothers to develop a strong friendship with Friedle in particular. 

“Boy Meets World” stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong were among many famous actors who backed Peck in court — before he was sent to jail for 16 months for sexual abuse of a child. WireImage The men have since expressed regret over their support of the disgraced acting and dialogue coach. Getty Images for iHeartRadio

Joey acknowledges that Peck “was brought into work with young casts, like, a lot” — but bypassed any any professional — or potentially harmful — exchanges with him. 

“Here’s the deal. I think everybody sort of knew him because he was in that circle. I ran into him several times. I never worked with him … and he wasn’t on ‘Brotherly Love,’” he explains. “We didn’t have him around. We didn’t need him because we were brothers, we were working on our own stuff.”

“Quiet on Set” also details accusations of sexism, racism and inappropriate workplace behavior against former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider — who helmed iconic projects such as “All That,” “The Amanda Show” and “Zoey 101.” 

Joey acknowledges that Peck “was brought into work with young casts, like, a lot” — but bypassed any any professional — or potentially harmful — exchanges with him.  Getty Images “I never worked with him,” says the actor, pictured here in 1999 with little brother Andy. ©Disney Channel/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection

In response to the doc, Schneider, 58, said in a recent interview with BooG!E — who played T-Bo on his other hit show “iCarly” — that he owes a “strong apology” to many. Additionally, he called for Nickelodeon to cut taboo jokes from his series that remain available to stream. 

“I wish I could go back, especially to those earlier years of my career, and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was okay to be an a–hole to anyone, ever,” he told BooG!E, born Bobby Bowman.

“Let’s cut those jokes out of the show, just like I would have done 20 years ago or 25 years ago. I want my shows to be popular,” Schneider continued. 

Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider’s alleged misdeeds are also detailed in “Quiet on Set.” Getty Images In response to the doc, Schneider said in a recent interview with BooG!E — who played T-Bo on his other hit show “iCarly” — that he owes a “strong apology” to many. YouTube/@DanWarp

“I want everyone to like [the shows], the more people who liked the shows, the happier I am. So if there’s anything that needs to be cut because it’s upsetting somebody, let’s cut it.”

Meanwhile, Joey tells Page Six that he hopes anyone damaged by the industry — and its predatory players — is able to heal. 

“It is sad to see those stories and my heart breaks for everybody who went through those things. You try to come out of it strong. Some people don’t come out of it, some people make it,” he says. 

“But that’s just life, unfortunately. It happens whether you’re in the business, whether you’re not in the business. Terrible things happen all the time and we just have to learn from those and pray about them and hopefully the awareness grows so that less and less of it happens. That’s all you can do.”