“It was not at all what I signed up for”: Quiet on Set Survivors Slam Docuseries for Profiteering on Their Trauma as ‘True Crime’ Series Gets Many Facts Wrong

Decades after Nickelodeon allegedly left dozens of child stars traumatized, Quiet on Set returns to haunt them with half-forgotten memories and long-buried scars. On the other hand, the docuseries brings to light a darker side of the entertainment industry that only scratches the surface of the public’s understanding of what goes on behind the curtains.
But despite the show’s well-placed intention, the documentation of children’s trauma does not sit well with some of the subjects of the series.

As Quiet on Set continues to send ripples of shock and disgust through the industry and fan circles alike, some of the stars have stepped forward to point out something allegedly equally problematic about the docuseries that has been so intent on exposing the evil warlocks of kids’ television for their crimes.

Quiet on Set Does Not Sit Well With Some of the Survivors

In the run-up to the release of Quiet on Set, several half-truths were allegedly furnished to Nickelodeon’s past child actors to extract from them disturbing tales of abuse and trauma. The docuseries, which has been years in the making, allegedly used misdirection and pretense to draw out reactions that could easily be misconstrued and damaging under false context.
However, the stories were apparently relevant enough to be used against Dan Schneider which served only to allegedly profit the showrunners, let alone heal the survivors.

Two of the show’s stars, Alexa Nikolas and Raquel Lee Bolleau, equated the Quiet on Set co-creators to Dan Schneider himself for allegedly using their story and manipulating their grief and trauma to benefit from it without the fear of consequence or collateral. The Amanda Show star revealed in an interview with IndieWire:

“After watching the show, I saw that it was not at all what I signed up for. I also saw that I was surrounded by people who have one agenda, and that one agenda is their own success. It’s a horrible word to even use in this context: success.” 

Given the horror that comes attached to the content of the docuseries, Lee Bolleau claimed that her interviews (held over the course of a year) and their alleged misuse left her “retraumatized” after the airing of Quiet on Set.

Quiet on Set Allegedly Betrays the Trust of Its Subjects

Raquel Lee Bolleau’s feelings of betrayal and deception didn’t subside easily. After allegedly being left out of the loop by co-creators before revealing Drake Bell in a shocking exposé, Lee Bolleau felt enraged at the docuseries producers. Soon after, she took to TikTok to release a video statement:

“‘Quiet on Set’ did the same thing that the industry always does: They get what they want from you and then they’re done… This industry has done nothing but hurt me left and right from since I was a child.”

Lee Bolleau also refused to let the series co-creators “put words in my mouth, I’m not going to say anything that I did not experience. And I’m not going to say anything that you think I should say to support what you’re trying to create…” At one point, she even goes so far as to confront her interviewer by stating, “[the] questions that you’re asking me right now are not lining up with what we’ve been talking about over the past year.”

Nikolas on the other hand felt betrayed over the lack of context surrounding her statements. She claimed that her account of the past was no longer a reflection of her trauma but sensationalism for the show. She revealed:

“They made me feel like my story was going to be heard and it wasn’t. They were more interested in resurfacing that awful footage than listening to survivors’ experiences.”  

Alexa Nikolas and Raquel Lee Bolleau maintain that due to their interviews being allegedly held under false pretense, at least one of their takes has been misrepresented on the show. Meanwhile, the series co-creators Emma Schwartz and Mary Robertson released a statement in their favor as well that hardly aids in negating their alleged guilt in misrepresenting and deceiving their interviewees.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is available for streaming on MAX.