Former Nickelodeon star Kenan Thompson says to “investigate more” following the release of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
ICYMI, the documentary series premiered in March 2024, and follows the toxic environment on Nickelodeon in the early 2000s including allegations of abuse, sexism and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew. Since the show premiered, one former Nickelodeon TV producer, Dan Schneider, has been at the center of the allegations.
“It’s a tough subject. It’s tough for me because I can’t really speak on things that I never witnessed,” Kenan said on the daytime talk show Tamron Hall on March 27, 2024, while admitting to not having watched the four-part doc series yet.
“All these things happened after I left, basically. Dan [Schneider] wasn’t really on Kenan & Kel like that. He got a ‘Created by’ credit, but it was a different showrunner,” he shared. “All that negativity kind of started happening outside of our tenure [at Nickelodeon]. I wasn’t really aware of a lot of it, but my heart goes out to anyone that’s been victimized, or their families.”
For those who don’t know, the longtime Saturday Night Live cast member originally got his start as a child actor, serving as an original cast member on All That, then starring alongside Kel Mitchell in the sitcom Kenan & Kel and the feature film Good Burger, all of which were produced by Nickelodeon.
“It’s a good thing that the doc is out and it’s putting things on display that need to be, stories that need to be told for accountability’s sake. But it’s definitely tough to watch because I have fond memories of that place,” he continued. “I have fond memories of my costars. To hear that they’ve gone through terrible things like that, it’s really tough.”
When Tamron revealed that production companies had launched an investigation into the allegations, Kenan replied, “Well, investigate more.” He added, “It’s supposed to be a safe place for kids. And to hear all about that is just like, ‘How dare you?’”
In response to J-14‘s request for comment, Nickelodeon provided the following statement:
“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”
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