Keke Palmer‘s mom, Sharon, is opening up about her time on set with Dan Schneider. Additionally, she’s reacting to Drake Bell‘s recent sexual assault revelation.
RELATED: Drake Bell Reveals He Was Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted During His Time On Nickelodeon (Video)
Keke Palmer’s Mom, Sharon, Opens Up About Her Time On Dan Schneider’s Nickelodeon Set
On Tuesday, August 6, Keke released a new episode of her podcast, ‘Baby, This Is Keke Palmer,’ via YouTube. The episode began with Keke and her mother speaking about the ‘Quiet On Set’ documentary. The docuseries was released in March, per The Shade Room.
During their conversation, Keke and her mother recalled her time at Nickelodeon working as a young actor on the show ‘True Jackson, VP.’ Keke explained that she remembers her mother “having a lot to say about the Dan Schneider’s sets.”
“My honest opinion is that I thought the whole atmosphere of the Dan Schneider set was very weird,” Sharon explained. “It was very cultish.”
Furthermore, Sharon explained that she felt the parents were “secretive,” “took themselves way too seriously,” and were overly concerned about what was “happening next” with shows.
“It was always so frantic about what was being canceled,” she said. “And I always looked at you [Keke] being at Nickelodeon as a stopping station…”
Sharon explained that by that time, Keke had been successful in child movies and shows. Additionally, Keke had also been successful in adult movies and shows. Therefore, she never considered Nickelodeon the “end all be all” of her child’s career like other “parents did.”
The Mother Reacts To Drake Bell’s Sexual Assault Revelation
As the conversation continued, Sharon explained that Drake Bells’ recent sexual assault revelation “broke” her heart.
“Because I can see how his parents got trapped,” she said. “I can see the grooming that went on.”
Later in the conversation, Sharon shared that she believes Brian Peck, the Nickelodeon dialogue coach who allegedly assaulted Bell, “preyed” on Bell. She added that Bell and his father exhibited a close bond during their time on set, and Peck strived to “get rid” or distance Bell from his father.
“He saw that,” Sharon said. “Just like a lot of people came for me, for you — agents and managers — they wanted to get rid of me to get to you. That definitely is real in the entertainment business.”
Sharon ultimately explained that Bell’s father wanted to see his son succeed, and when his son told him that he no longer wanted to be managed by him, he “did not have a choice” and “had to do what was best for Drake.”
A Brief Recap About Dan Schneider & His Time At Nickelodeon
As The Shade Room previously reported, ‘Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’ aired in mid-March. The series explored the “dark side” of child TV shows and featured Bell, who revealed he was assaulted by Peck at the age of 15.
Additionally, the series alleged that child actors at Nick were “sexualized” by Schneider, other producers, and crew members. Schneider was even accused of promoting a hostile work environment in the series. After the show’s release, Schneider admitted that he “definitely owe[s] some people a pretty strong apology,” per The Shade Room.
The docuseries prompted one parent of a former Nick actor to speak out, amid stars such as Kenan Thompson, Lori Beth Denberg, Victoria Justice, Ariana Grande, and more to react.
