Emma Roberts Addresses ‘Quiet On Set’ Allegations

Former Nickelodeon star Emma Roberts has finally addressed the bombshell docuseries, “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV,” which was released earlier this year.

Many child actors, including Drake Bell, came forward for the project, revealing what it was really like to work for the network, Dan Schneider, and other producers. Schneider, who worked on various shows including “All That,” “The Amanda Show,” “Zoey 101,” and more, faced allegations and controversies related to his behavior on set and his interactions with young actors. Some of the accusations include inappropriate behavior towards underage actors, creating a toxic work environment, racism, and sexism.

The producer, who parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018, has since addressed the allegations, apologizing to those who he had hurt during those years. Ever since, various child stars have come forward to detail their experience working for the network, with the latest being “Unfabulous” star Emma Roberts.

When speaking with Variety about her recent film, “Space Cadet,” Emma Roberts addressed the “Quiet On Set” docuseries, which left her “really, really, really sad.”

“I watched [‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’], and I was completely horrified and shocked because that was not my experience,” she told the outlet. “It made me really, really, really sad that that was happening to people that I literally saw often and had no idea.”

Roberts portrayed Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon series “Unfabulous,” which debuted in September 2004. “For me, my show, ‘Unfabulous,’ the showrunner we had was this amazing woman named Sue Rose,” she added. “And I didn’t realize at the time, but a female showrunner back then was not very common. But that was my intro into working on a TV show.”

In the docuseries, some parents of child stars claimed they were not allowed on specific sets and that they had to remain silent regarding the alleged violation of child labor laws for the show “Fear Factor.” However, this was not the case for Emma Roberts.

“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.”

“I feel like we’re working towards a better work environment in that sense,” the actress continued. “But yeah, that documentary really kept me up at night.”

Emma Roberts isn’t the only former Nickelodeon star who has addressed the allegations made against the network. Ariana Grande, who starred in “Victorious” and “Sam & Cat,” said, “I think that the environment needs to be made safer if kids are going to be acting. I think there should be therapists. I think [parents should be] allowed to be wherever they want to be.”

Former “All That” actress Angelique Bates accused Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider of bullying, instigating, and verbal abuse, exclusively telling The Blast there were “a few cases of bullying and instigating that production was aware of” including a specific incident “when I defended myself, instead of the other cast member getting in trouble, I was brought in with my mother and threatened to be fired in a production meeting.”

Alexis Nikolas, Matthew Underwood, Lori Beth Denberg, and Jack Salvatore Jr. are among the other stars who have spoken out about “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV.”

“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult,” he said. “Me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”

“I wish I could go back, especially to those earlier years of my career, and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was okay to be an a–hole to anyone, ever,” he added.

He has since sued the production companies behind the “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV” docuseries over alleged child sexual assault claims.

“Recently the docuseries ‘Quiet on Set’ highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon, most of which happened decades ago during my early career as a producer, working on shows for Tollin/Robbins Productions,” the former Nickelodeon producer said of the lawsuit. “There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader. I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior, and I will continue to take accountability for it.”