Melissa Joan Hart was one of the biggest Nickelodeon stars of the ‘90s, starring in both Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Now, considering all the news and allegations that have come out about Nickelodeon through Investigation Discovery's Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, the actress has been asked about her thoughts on the matter. While explaining how she feels about the stories told in the documentary about the toxic work environment many said they faced, she also detailed her own experience working for the network.
Meghan McCain interviewed Melissa Joan Hart not long after Quiet on Set was released on the 2024 TV schedule on her podcast Meghan McCain Has Entered the Chat. During the episode, the former The View co-host asked the actress if she experienced anything while working at Nickelodeon that was similar to the stories told in the documentary. In response, the Sabrina the Teenage Witch star said she has “not seen the documentary,” and that she thinks “that’s a mistake.” However, she’s heard the stories about it, and shared her thoughts on what she knows, saying:
I don’t know other people’s experiences, and I’m not negating anything anyone else says. I don’t know other stories, I’ve never been told these people’s stories that are in the documentary or and I have to say I’ve never heard a story from a Nickelodeon star personally. No one’s come to me and talked to me about any of these situations, and that’s not to say anything about anyone’s story. I absolutely trust and believe them 100%.
The stories in the documentary include, but are not limited to, Drake Bell speaking out about abuse he faced while working at Nickelodeon, as well as Zoey 101’s Alexa Nikolas and many more speaking out about the toxic environment they were working in under Dan Schneider in the early 2000s. Since the documentary’s release, Schneider released a statement about the allegations, which Nikolas quickly denounced, saying the producer wasn’t “embarrassed enough to reach out to the people [he] actually harmed.”
Melissa Joan Hart explained she didn’t experience this kind of environment when she worked for Nickelodeon in Orlando from 1989 to 1993 or ‘94. Explaining that she thought there might be “a difference between Hollywood Nickelodeon and Orlando Nickelodeon,” she also noted that most of the stories she'd heard about happened after she left. Citing that the biggest issue when she worked there was the hours, Melissa Joan Hart recalled her own experience with the network, saying it was “wonderful” as she explained her time working in Florida:
I was surrounded by an amazing crew and incredible cast that took such good care of me. I mean, these people were protective of me.
Saying that her mom wasn’t always around because her sisters worked in New York, the Clarissa Explains It All star went on to explain:
So I don’t know if it was the difference in Orlando or the time period, whoever these guys were, they weren’t around, but I have to say, not every egg in the Nickelodeon basket is rotten. There were some good eggs. There were some people that really took care of me. I mean, to be honest, a few of them are still my very best friends. So from the producers down to, you know, the sound guys, all took care of me, and we were a wonderful family.
While her experience working at Nickelodeon was good, as she said earlier, she also trusts and believes those who spoke out in the documentary.
Melissa Joan Hart isn’t the only one who wasn’t in the documentary who spoke out about it. Kenan Thompson broke his silence on Quiet on Set, saying that while he didn’t experience what those in the documentary said they did while working on All That, he does believe they should “investigate more” into the issue. He also made it clear that he was happy the doc was out and that the stories in it are being heard.
Josh Peck also released a statement about Quiet on Set, saying that he gives his “support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their sotires.” He also wrote that he was in contact with his Drake and Josh co-star Drake Bell after hearing his story.
The Sabrina the Teenage Witch star seems to be in the same boat as these guys, and made it clear that she supports those who spoke up in the documentary.
You can stream Quiet on Set with a Max subscription.
