Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV has been one of the most shocking, eye-opening documentaries to come out in a long time.
The biggest story thus far has been Drake Bell coming forward, revealing he was the victim of child sexual abuse. The Drake & Josh star was the minor who actor/vocal coach Brian Peck pleaded guilty to abusing back in 2004. Just awful.
The other big focus of the show, however, is more of an open question: Dan Schneider. The creator of Nickelodeon classics The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, iCarly, Sam & Cat, Drake & Josh, and more has been accused of a lot of creepy behavior with his young casts. The doc spotlighted in particular the question of appropriateness regarding his relationship with star Amanda Bynes.
So the big question is… why didn’t Quiet On Set interview the troubled star? Wouldn’t her perspective be just what the doc needed to make its case? The answer is going to disappoint a lot of viewers who were expecting a smoking gun.
Related: Disney Hired Child Molester AFTER His Conviction — To Work On The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody!
Sources told TMZ on Friday that Amanda was indeed approached to participate. So were her parents, Rick and Lynn Bynes. They all turned it down. Why? First off, Amanda isn’t interested in talking about her child star days generally. Second, and this is the big one — her experience doesn’t line up with the documentary’s take!
The outlet’s insiders say the What I Like About You alum rejected doing an interview because she didn’t feel she had anything to tell the producers that would help their mission. She apparently says she didn’t have a bad experience! Not the way the stars sitting for the doc did. Instead, sources say, Amanda is really grateful for her early experiences in TV and what it did for her career at that stage. For that reason, Amanda hasn’t even WATCHED the docuseries.
Amanda’s parents have watched, though. Per the sources, they were horrified by the allegations against people who worked with children like her daughter. But like Amanda, they never saw any of it firsthand. That’s what TMZ‘s sources say anyway.
It is, of course, in many ways great news. After all, the poor girl has been through enough, we’re happy she didn’t deal with other horrors in her childhood. But it’s certainly unexpected! Are YOU surprised to hear Amanda didn’t experience the kind of problematic child stardom others did?
[Image via Invesigation Discovery/Nickelodeon/YouTube.]