Emma Roberts is the latest Nickelodeon alum to speak out about the controversial Quiet on Set documentary. Before she was known for memes, American Horror Story, and more, the Space Cadet actress starred in her own TV series, Unfabulous, on the children’s network. The series followed the life of middle schooler Addie Singer, played by Roberts, and ran for three seasons from 2004 to 2007.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV ID documentary focused on the toxic work environment and abuse that both child actors and staffers experienced while on Nickelodeon, most notably under producer Dan Schneider. Ariana Grande, Kenan Thompson, and Melissa Joan Hart are some of the many former child stars reacting to the documentary and speaking out about their own experience whether good or bad, as well as Drake Bell, who went on record in the documentary and spoke about the abuse he endured.
Emma Roberts during Nickelodeon’s 17th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards – Arrivals at Pauley Pavillion in Westwood, California, United States. (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)
– SGranitz/WireImage)
Roberts told the Just for Variety podcast that after watching the documentary, she was “completely horrified and shocked because that was not my experience. It made me really, really, really sad that that was happening to people that I literally saw often and had no idea about. For me, my show, Unfabulous, the showrunner we had was this amazing woman named Sue Rose.”
“And I didn’t realize at the time, but a female showrunner back then was not very common,” Roberts continued. “But that was my intro into working on a TV show. Also, my mom was with me 24/7, and even I would be like, ‘You don’t have to be here all the time.’ She was like, ‘I do, actually. I’m not letting you out of my sight. You’re not going to a fitting by yourself when you’re 13 years old.’ It makes me really sad, and I just feel like children need to be protected on sets, as do adults, and I feel like we’re working towards a better work environment in that sense. But yeah, that documentary really kept me up at night.”
Melissa Joan Hart said something similar when speaking about her own experiences, revealing that it was not her experience, but she believes those who spoke out “100 percent.” She suggested it was possible that the environment was different due to the fact she filmed Clarissa Explains It All in Orlando rather than Hollywood. Meanwhile, All That alum Kenan Thompson revealed the documentary was “tough to watch” and he “wasn’t really aware” of what was happening during his time on the kids’ sketch comedy series, as several of his co-stars and successors appeared in the documentary.