Emma Roberts says she was shocked by allegations of harassment behind the scenes at Nickelodeon

Emma Roberts, 33, was a 13-year-old teenager when she became one of the protagonists of the series “Unfabulous” on Nickelodeon, 20 years ago. She never suspected that the behind-the-scenes of the children’s channel was not so innocent and the actress said she was shocked by the accusations of moral and sexual harassment against some directors, revealed in the documentary “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Children’s TV”, available on Max.

She said she was “completely horrified and shocked” by the documentary. “It was horrible and it was not my experience,” Julia Roberts’ niece told Variety. “I was very sad that this was happening to people I saw a lot and I had no idea,” she said, having overseen the production for three seasons.

The actress also said that, at the time, she didn’t understand why her mother was with her the whole time during filming, but now she realizes that this protected her from abusive situations. “ My mom was with me 24/7, and even I was like, ‘You don’t have to be here all the time. ‘ And she was like, ‘Actually, I do. I won’t let you out of my sight. ‘”

The mother of a boy named Rhodes, who will turn four in December 2020 (his father is ex-boyfriend Garrett Hedlund), she is adamant that children need to be protected on set. “Children and adults alike. This documentary really kept me up at night.”

In five chapters, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Children’s TV” exposes alleged cases of moral and sexual harassment behind the scenes at Nickelodeon. One of the focuses of the production is producer Dan Schneider, responsible for the channel’s main hits, such as “Zoey 101” (2005-2008), “iCarly” (2007-2012), “Bright Victoria” (2010-2013), “Drake & Josh” (2004-2007), “Sam & Cat” (2013-2014) and “The Amanda Show” (1999-2002), who is accused of moral harassment.

The documentary series also features testimony from Drake Bell, one of the stars of “Drake & Josh”, who talks about being a victim of sexual abuse while working on Nickelodeon productions.