Melissa Joan Hart Addresses ‘Quiet On Set’ Allegations: ‘I Absolutely Believe Them 100 Percent’
Melissa Joan Hart is the latest Nickelodeon star to address Quiet On Set, the Investigation Discovery docuseries that revealed alleged experiences of abuse, sexism, and racism on children’s TV shows from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Hart, who starred in the Nickelodeon teen sitcom Clarissa Explains It All from 1991 to 1994, appeared on the Meghan McCain Has Entered The Chat podcast on Thursday, March 28, stating she “absolutely believes” the allegations even though she doesn’t have any personal horror stories.
“I don’t know other people’s experiences, and I’m not negating anything anybody else says. I’ve never been told these people’s stories that are in the [docuseries],” Hart said, per Deadline. “And I have to say, I’ve never heard a story from a Nickelodeon star personally; nobody’s come to me and talked to me about any of these situations.
She added, “I absolutely trust them, believe them, 100 percent.”
During her time with the network, Hart worked out of the Nickelodeon Studios based in Orlando, Florida. This studio closed permanently in 2005 after much of the production had moved to Nickelodeon Studios on Sunset in Los Angeles, California.
“In Orlando, I had nothing but a wonderful experience,” Hart added, noting, “They did work the kids a lot harder than they probably legally should. We had a ton of fun. It was just long hours, that’s all… because I had to do school and the show.”
Melissa Joan Hart on Clarissa Explains It All; Nickelodeon/ Courtesy: Everett Collection
After her success on Clarissa Explains It All, Hart landed the lead role on ABC’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which further launched her into stardom. The Archie Comics-based series aired for four seasons on ABC before moving to The WB for its final three seasons.
While Hart acknowledged the horrific experiences detailed in Quiet On Set, she said she looks back fondly at her time at Nickelodeon.
“I was surrounded by an amazing crew, an incredible cast that took such good care of me. I mean, these people were protective of me,” she shared. “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.”
In the ID docuseries, which premiered earlier this month, former Nickelodeon child actors have made claims of sexual abuse against assistant Jason Handy, dialogue coach Brian Peck, and studio freelancer Ezel Channel, as well as alleged abusive, toxic, and misogynistic behavior of producer Dan Schneider.
Quiet on Set: Breaking the Silence, April 7, 8/7c, ID
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV where to stream
