Kenan Thompson, “Saturday Night Live” star and former Nickelodeon child actor, has opened up about the recent documentary “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” which features allegations of sexual abuse, racism and toxicity within the network.
Thompson’s comments came during an interview on the Tamron Hall Show, where he discussed his new memoir and production banner among others.
While acknowledging that he had not watched the docuseries on Wednesday, Kenan Thompson expressed his support for the victims and praised the documentary for bringing accountability.
“It’s a good thing that the doc is out and it’s putting things on display that need to be, stories that need to be told for accountability’s sake.”
The series brought to light accusations of inappropriate behavior and toxic work environment created by some actors and crew members like Brian Peck. It also featured ones directed at producer Dan Schneider, who oversaw several Nickelodeon sitcoms, including “All That” and “Good Burger,” in which Thompson starred as a child.
Schneider has admitted to past behaviors he regrets and acknowledged owing apologies to some people.
Thompson, who was an original cast member of “All That”, stated that he personally did not encounter any such behavior from Schneider during his time at Nickelodeon.
“Dan [Schneider] wasn’t really on ‘Kenan & Kel’ like that. He got a ‘Created by’ credit, but it was a different showrunner,” Thompson explained. “All that negativity kind of started happening outside of our tenure [at Nickelodeon].”
However, he expressed empathy for those who were victimized, saying,
“To hear that they’ve gone through terrible things like that, it’s really tough.”
When informed that Nickelodeon is conducting investigations into the allegations, Thompson reacted strongly, stating,
“Well, investigate more. It’s supposed to be a safe space. It’s supposed to be a safe place for kids. So to hear all that is like, ‘How dare you.'”
Despite these allegations, Kenan Thompson still remembers his co-stars and his time at Nickelodeon fondly, making the revelations even more difficult to process.