1. I wanted to be an actress
when I was young.
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2. My mom had been
a legal assistant
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3. within the movie industry
for years.
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4. She knew a lot of what went on
behind the scenes.
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5. And decided
she never wanted, uh,
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6. my brother or I
to ever have any involvement
within the movie industry.
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7. So I had some resentment
over that.
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8. Years later...
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9. my daughter, Brandi,
was very outgoing,
full of life.
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10. Full of personality.
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11. Hi, little hambone.
How you doing?
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12. And she was very enamored
with television.
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13. Disney Channel, Nickelodeon.
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14. She idolized these shows,
and she thought
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15. what a fun life
that looked like.
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16. She had found
what she wanted to do in life.
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17. Brandi absolutely loved
The Amanda Show,
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18. and they were looking for kids
to be in a schoolroom scene.
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19. Class dismissed! Bring in
the dancing lobsters!
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20. [MJ] So, for her
to get booked on a show
that she absolutely loved,
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21. at only 11 years old,
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22. she came out of that
just on cloud nine.
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23. We, as parents,
were not allowed back
on the set.
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24. We were greeted
by a production assistant,
Jason Handy,
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25. who guided all the kids
to where they needed to be.
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26. Jason looked like
the all-American
boy next door.
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27. Very charismatic,
very charming.
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28. When he wasn't on set
with the kids,
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29. Jason would come out
and talk with all the moms.
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30. Wanted to get to know
about us, what our families
were like.
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31. You thought,
"Oh, I could be friends
with this person."
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32. On the drive home,
Brandi was very excited.
Copy !req
33. She said Jason
started exchanging numbers
with the kids and the parents,
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34. and Jason wants to email.
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35. She thought, "Oh, this is
somebody else on the set
that seemed to be so nice."
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36. And she would have
a friend in the industry.
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37. I thought,
"Oh, this is going well."
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38. I was so happy.
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39. I was the parent
that could give my child
what she wanted in life.
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40. About a week
after she was on that episode,
Copy !req
41. there was an email from Jason.
Copy !req
42. She let me read it, and it was
a very innocent email.
Copy !req
43. It just talked about the shows
that he had been working on.
Copy !req
44. After that,
they were emailing more.
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45. She would tell me,
"Oh, I got an email
from Jason.
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46. He's doing this.
He's doing that."
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47. I didn't see any harm in it.
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48. A couple months later,
she was sitting
at the computer,
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49. and all of a sudden, I noticed
she had suddenly shut down
the computer completely,
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50. and got up
and ran into her bedroom,
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51. and slammed
the bedroom door shut.
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52. And I said,
"Brandi, what is wrong?"
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53. She started to cry.
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54. And she said,
"I got an email from Jason."
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55. It was
a picture of him naked...
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56. masturbating.
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57. And he said
he had sent it to her
Copy !req
58. because he wanted her
to see...
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59. that he was thinking of her.
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60. I went back and forth with,
"Should I call the police?
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61. They're gonna think
I'm a bad parent
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62. because I allowed her
to talk to this person."
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63. I struggled with this
and I finally told myself,
Copy !req
64. "I can't call the police.
All I can do...
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65. is make sure
I keep her far away from him."
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66. She left the business
and never returned.
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67. The public still has
this image of Hollywood
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68. of this glitz and glam,
and the limelight,
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69. and, "Oh, you have
the best career,
and it's all fine and great."
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70. They don't know
what these kids went through.
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71. This is Amanda.
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72. I sure hope you like my act.
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73. What is your name?
- Hi, my name's Amanda Bynes.
I'm nine years old.
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74. How old are you,
by the way? Are you—
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75. - I'm ten.
You're 10 years old.
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76. - I'm 12, turning 13
April 3rd. Yay!
Yay!
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77. - Teenager!
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78. And I'm 14 years old.
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79. And I'm 16.
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80. Amanda Bynes
was very, very famous
by the time she was, like, 16.
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81. And, at the time,
she talked about wanting
to take on more adult roles.
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82. On Nickelodeon, I had to do
a lot of, like, slapstick-y.
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83. I was always wearing wigs
and doing all that.
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84. And I got to a point,
I was growing up,
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85. that I wanted to feel like
my age, and like a girl
and do all that.
Copy !req
86. She made a few movies,
What a Girl Wants
and Big Fat Liar.
Copy !req
87. So she's starting to pivot
into this different space
in her career
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88. that's well beyond Nickelodeon
and well beyond being a figure
of child entertainment.
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89. Dan Schneider
created a show called
What I Like About You
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90. on the WB with a 16-year-old
Amanda Bynes.
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91. And Dan really wanted
to follow Amanda
into this mainstream success.
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92. But there's already trouble
on set.
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93. Dan had a very
specific image
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94. of how he wanted
What I Like About You to go,
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95. but he was constantly fighting
with the co-creator
of What I Like about You,
Copy !req
96. Wil Calhoun from Friends.
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97. And there was just
this massive amount
of tension there,
Copy !req
98. where the network
didn't really trust Dan.
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99. And they stepped in.
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100. He got pushed out
from the writer's room.
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101. But Dan is still able
to remain on set with Amanda
in his role as producer.
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102. Amanda's relationship
with Dan was very close.
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103. He thought that he should be
the one to, kind of,
usher Amanda into adulthood.
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104. It's a very
delicate transition
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105. to make from child star
to adult person,
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106. never mind adult actor.
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107. What's the cost
of fame, in your opinion?
- Um...
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108. People like
having to be involved
in your personal lives.
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109. Oh, enough
out of you.
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110. She wanted
to be a grown-up.
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111. She still lived at home,
you know? So there were
some rules.
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112. Amanda
and her parents
were not getting along.
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113. Amanda was dating someone.
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114. He was older.
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115. You know, you're 16 years old,
and you think you're an adult
and you know everything.
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116. But her parents,
being good parents,
Copy !req
117. said, "Miss. Can't do that."
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118. And I think
she didn't like hearing,
"I can't."
Copy !req
119. Amanda tries to run away
from home
Copy !req
120. and, in this moment,
she turns to Dan for help.
Copy !req
121. The details
are a little bit murky,
Copy !req
122. but we know from sources
that the police were involved.
Copy !req
123. And we also know
that Amanda's parents
Copy !req
124. are really, really upset
with Dan's actions
through this.
Copy !req
125. But around this time,
Amanda turns to Dan
and other representatives
Copy !req
126. to come up with a plan
to get her emancipated
Copy !req
127. and get her a new level
of independence.
Copy !req
128. This plan takes her parents
completely by surprise.
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129. They didn't say, "I do."
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130. So what rights do kids have
when they want a divorce
from their mom and dad?
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131. Two teenage sisters
went to court
to get a divorce,
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132. not from their husbands,
but from their parents.
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133. My child
wants to be emancipated.
What does this mean?
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134. That's a really good question.
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135. What your child wants
is to be called a legal adult.
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136. In order to do that,
your child needs to petition
the court.
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137. There's a pretty
lengthy history of teen stars
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138. getting emancipated
from their parents.
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139. It lets them work
a little more freely.
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140. They don't have to work
reduced hours.
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141. It would have made everybody
a lot more money
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142. and they could have worked her
even harder
than they already were.
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143. And she really felt pulled
in a couple
of different directions.
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144. You know, parents,
Dan Schneider...
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145. Dan Schneider is the guy
responsible for my career.
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146. She's a teenager
and that's a lot
to put on somebody.
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147. Knowing that no matter
what decision you make,
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148. you're gonna hurt someone
who means something to you
is difficult.
Copy !req
149. Dan inserting himself
into Amanda's life like this
is really ethically fraught.
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150. I think
that there is an argument
that can be made
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151. that he was trying
to help Amanda.
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152. But, unfortunately for Dan,
Copy !req
153. this goes to court,
and it entirely fails.
Copy !req
154. Because of Dan's involvement
in this plan
to emancipate Amanda,
Copy !req
155. this creates this huge split
in between Amanda's parents
and Dan Schneider.
Copy !req
156. This is really the end
of Dan's relationship
with Amanda.
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157. But her transition
into adulthood
in the public eye
Copy !req
158. will be incredibly fraught.
Copy !req
159. Pretty soon after this,
Dan parts ways
with What I Like About You.
Copy !req
160. He stays on with the show
in name only.
Copy !req
161. Dan has basically
lost his ticket
out of children's programming.
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162. It's a huge blow.
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163. So, now,
he has to turn his attention
back to Nickelodeon.
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164. And Nickelodeon
obviously wanted him
Copy !req
165. because here's a guy,
he's responsible
for a couple of
Copy !req
166. really successful shows
for them.
Copy !req
167. The dark side of that
is that it came at a cost
to a lot of people.
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168. Over at Nickelodeon,
Dan had been growing
what would become an empire,
Copy !req
169. reviving All That
with a whole new cast.
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170. The all-new cast
of all-new All That!
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171. It's All That!
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172. All That
made Dan's career.
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173. He was able to capture
this really lively energy
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174. where it just looked like
everybody was just having
a good time.
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175. What makes it
really fun for me,
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176. working with young people,
is that it's fresh and new
to them.
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177. This is often
their first or second job.
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178. Fame is new, the whole process
is new, and they're excited
to be a part of it.
Copy !req
179. Dan was a writer
and executive producer
on All That,
Copy !req
180. and he was the primary person
in charge on set.
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181. There is a deference
on a television set.
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182. It's very hierarchical.
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183. Dan is someone
who holds economic power
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184. and emotional power
over these kids.
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185. He had so much power
and he threw it around.
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186. I grew up watching All That,
and I remember the way
they talked about Dan.
Copy !req
187. - It's the Dan Phone!
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188. There's a very telling scene
where Dan calls the cast,
Copy !req
189. and it's like Charlie
calling his Angels.
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190. Hello, cast!
Hi, Dan!
Copy !req
191. He's parodying himself
as a big-shot producer.
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192. We lost him.
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193. Lost 'em.
Copy !req
194. - How about a shrimp?
- Okay.
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195. He's being hand-fed
shrimp tails,
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196. and then, the kids
are literally referring to him
as God.
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197. Look, it is not our place
to question Dan.
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198. - Yeah. Dan's a god.
- True.
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199. I can't argue that.
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200. To me, it looks like a moment
that really reflects
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201. what's happening
behind the scenes.
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202. - Let's go make Dan proud!
- Come on!
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203. I was so excited,
but I had no idea
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204. what kind of wild ride
I was getting into.
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205. You guys know Gail.
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206. Heidi heidi heidi hi!
Copy !req
207. I am Giovonnie,
Giovonnie Samuels.
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208. I started on All That
for season seven through nine.
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209. I understood the magnitude
of being the token Black girl,
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210. but I didn't realize
how significant that was
until years later.
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211. My name is Kyle Sullivan.
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212. I was a guest star
on The Amanda Show.
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213. You people
ripped us off!
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214. I was apparently, like,
funny enough that Dan
took a liking to me,
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215. and was like, "Oh, wow. Okay."
Copy !req
216. - Inhale!
Copy !req
217. I was on All That
for, like, four years.
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218. My name
is Bryan Christopher Hearne.
Copy !req
219. I was a cast member
on season seven and eight
of All That.
Copy !req
220. Every time I booked a role,
Copy !req
221. I felt like I was one step
closer to getting my family
out the hood.
Copy !req
222. And, so, it was freeing
to get the role on All That.
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223. But that wasn't the reality.
Copy !req
224. The set on All That
was dysfunctional.
Copy !req
225. You could just
kind of get away with more.
Copy !req
226. Like going overtime in ways
that were sort of pushing
the envelope.
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227. They would be like,
"Hey, can you stay an extra
however-long?"
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228. "I guess. Sure."
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229. You kind of
look at your mom like,
Copy !req
230. "We're ignoring child
labor laws again,
do you know that?
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231. All right.
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232. Let's... let's shoot."
Copy !req
233. I remember we did this
sketch "Sugar and Coffee."
Copy !req
234. It involved me and Lisa
running around this set,
Copy !req
235. and basically, like,
swallow a bunch of sugar
and swallow a bunch of coffee.
Copy !req
236. That sketch required, like,
a ton of, like, physical work.
Copy !req
237. - Welcome, Mrs. Nut-Hurst!
- Yeah!
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238. They had me come in
dressed as an old lady
Copy !req
239. that gets drowned
in the sugar and coffee.
Copy !req
240. I mean, you're pouring, like,
pounds and pounds of literal
sugar in your mouth.
Copy !req
241. And it's hitting you
like sand.
Copy !req
242. And, sometimes,
we would choke.
Copy !req
243. It was taxing and it...
Copy !req
244. And, frankly, like,
if you look at the sketch,
Copy !req
245. it's gross.
Copy !req
246. Oh!
Copy !req
247. Like, it would
congeal into this gross,
viscous goo.
Copy !req
248. It was weird.
Copy !req
249. The show was full of, like,
these uncomfortable sketches.
Copy !req
250. I think that Dan got a kick
out of walking a line
with that.
Copy !req
251. But, generally,
I had a good relationship
with Dan.
Copy !req
252. Dan was very professional
and nice to me.
Copy !req
253. Dan had a nicer
relationship with...
Copy !req
254. some of the other white kids.
Copy !req
255. I didn't feel close to him
at all.
Copy !req
256. My time on Nickelodeon
played a big part in how I...
Copy !req
257. dealt, and still deal,
with racial issues.
Copy !req
258. We got impressions
on what the climate
was like immediately,
Copy !req
259. first day filming.
Copy !req
260. You wanna buy
some girlie cookies?
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261. - You're not a girl.
Copy !req
262. They set up the scene
like he was selling drugs.
Copy !req
263. And I was like, "Oh,
the Black kid gets to be
the crack dealer?"
Copy !req
264. And then, we were at the end
of the scene,
Copy !req
265. and there's a man
sitting there
who was the producer.
Copy !req
266. Behind him was a young lady
massaging him.
Copy !req
267. That was certainly pulled
from Dan getting massages
on set,
Copy !req
268. which was weird.
Copy !req
269. Why are we having adult jokes?
Copy !req
270. Are you showing the kids
that Hollywood
is a casting couch?
Copy !req
271. And, "Oh, Tracey."
"Go do it."
Copy !req
272. I was complaining too much.
I became the oddball.
Copy !req
273. There was a sketch
where I played
Copy !req
274. the youngest rapper
of all time,
Copy !req
275. Lil' Fetus.
Copy !req
276. Yo, yo, yo!
Copy !req
277. Lil' Fetus in the womb, yeah!
Copy !req
278. They were fitting me
for the Lil' Fetus role.
Copy !req
279. And, essentially,
you're a fetus,
so you're naked.
Copy !req
280. But, you know,
they had to put
a body suit on you.
Copy !req
281. And, obviously,
it has to be skin tone.
Copy !req
282. Someone said the skin tone
should be charcoal.
Copy !req
283. I started to get teary-eyed.
Copy !req
284. Whoever was doing my makeup
at the time was kind of, like,
Copy !req
285. hand on my shoulder, like,
"It's gonna be okay."
Copy !req
286. Like, "Don't worry about that
he just said."
Copy !req
287. That was a moment
where I felt like,
Copy !req
288. "Oh, I could go
get my mom about this."
Copy !req
289. But also, I know my mom,
Copy !req
290. and I know
that she would have rose hell.
Copy !req
291. I saw things differently
than everybody else.
Copy !req
292. Now, ultimately,
I did try to tell his agent,
Copy !req
293. 'cause she called me.
Copy !req
294. She's like, "Tracey, come on.
Copy !req
295. Do it for Bryan.
Just shut up."
Copy !req
296. And I was like, "Yeah,
but things are weird here."
Copy !req
297. The person at the top
sets the tone
for the entire production.
Copy !req
298. If you run a show
dealing overwhelmingly
with children,
Copy !req
299. then you are responsible
for creating an environment
where those kids feel
Copy !req
300. beyond comfortable to tell you
that they're not comfortable.
Copy !req
301. It needs to be so safe
that your most vulnerable
person on set
Copy !req
302. is able to say to you,
the most powerful
person there,
Copy !req
303. "I don't wanna do this."
Copy !req
304. From
Nickelodeon Studios
in Hollywood,
Copy !req
305. - welcome to this week's
Snick On-Air Dare!
Copy !req
306. The On Air Dares
were the Fear Factor
of Nickelodeon.
Copy !req
307. We would be standing
in these tube chambers.
Copy !req
308. It was, like,
this ominous thing
that was deciding,
Copy !req
309. "Who is it gonna be?"
Copy !req
310. Will it be Bryan,
Kyle, or Chelsea?
Copy !req
311. And then,
it would be lights.
Copy !req
312. And then, it would shine on,
Copy !req
313. you know,
all the cast members,
and it would stop.
Copy !req
314. Bryan Hearne!
Copy !req
315. Those were
particularly traumatic,
Copy !req
316. and they were, sort of,
designed to be.
Copy !req
317. The whole idea was that
you would have to do
something scary on camera.
Copy !req
318. And they got pretty scary.
Copy !req
319. I did the peanut butter one.
Copy !req
320. So, I had to be submerged
in peanut butter.
Copy !req
321. All right, lay him down
on the floor!
Copy !req
322. That was weird.
Copy !req
323. Release the hounds!
But then,
the dogs come.
Copy !req
324. I'm laying on the ground
and, then, the dogs,
Copy !req
325. they gotta lick peanut butter
off my body.
Copy !req
326. That sounds like some kind of
awkward fantasy
Copy !req
327. from some freaky dude.
Copy !req
328. It was really uncomfortable.
I didn't like that.
Copy !req
329. And when you question it,
it's like,
Copy !req
330. "But it's normal, isn't it?"
Copy !req
331. Right? They begin to teach
the parents, "This is normal."
Copy !req
332. I didn't need to have dogs
lick the peanut butter off.
Copy !req
333. Jack didn't need
to be submerged
in a pool of worms.
Copy !req
334. I don't think that any of that
was necessary.
Copy !req
335. There was, sort of,
this weird dynamic with it,
Copy !req
336. where they were taking
something that,
Copy !req
337. you know, exists
in an adult context,
like Fear Factor.
Copy !req
338. And, like, transmogrifying it
into kids.
Copy !req
339. When you do that,
it's actually, like,
Copy !req
340. an inappropriate thing to do.
Copy !req
341. There was
a scorpion there!
Copy !req
342. The thing that was
most uncomfortable
is having to watch
Copy !req
343. your fellow castmates...
Copy !req
344. be, essentially, tortured.
Copy !req
345. If there's anything on set
that I wish
I could have yelled,
Copy !req
346. "Stop! Let's not do this.
I'm out,"
Copy !req
347. it's still On-Air Dares.
Copy !req
348. I think that people
just kinda look at us and go,
Copy !req
349. "You made some money.
So what are you
complaining about?"
Copy !req
350. And, yeah, we collect
our money, sure.
Copy !req
351. But at what cost?
Copy !req
352. The environment on set
really matters
when we're talking about kids
Copy !req
353. because, if they aren't
protected, then they're
vulnerable to much worse.
Copy !req
354. - Hey, Anthony.
Yes.
Copy !req
355. - Do me a favor.
Yes.
Copy !req
356. As Dan grew
more powerful,
Copy !req
357. he became
more verbally abusive,
Copy !req
358. more aggressive,
more demanding of people.
Copy !req
359. Dan's presence
in the room can change
the vibe of the room.
Copy !req
360. Everybody would kind of
just be like, "Okay, shut up.
Shut up."
Copy !req
361. Dan would come down
and yell and scream.
Copy !req
362. There was many times
where I had to go,
Copy !req
363. "Okay, you're creating
an atmosphere on this set
that is not healthy."
Copy !req
364. I worked with Dan on All That.
Copy !req
365. And then came The Amanda Show.
Copy !req
366. And then came Drake and Josh.
Copy !req
367. When I worked with Dan,
I felt like the bar
was always being risen,
Copy !req
368. and I had to reach that bar.
Copy !req
369. You had to be
as good, or better,
or put more hours in,
Copy !req
370. or do longer things
than Dan did.
Copy !req
371. And we all did it...
Copy !req
372. or you got fired.
Copy !req
373. The edit bay was like
a Starship Enterprise.
Copy !req
374. Dan Schneider would sit
in the very back row
Copy !req
375. and make comments
the whole time.
Copy !req
376. And they were sometimes
very degrading.
Copy !req
377. He would not
talk to me directly.
Copy !req
378. He would say
to his associate producer,
Copy !req
379. "Tell her to make
this certain edit."
Or, "Tell her to trim this."
Copy !req
380. Or, "Tell her to, you know,
start over," or "Better take."
Copy !req
381. Dan was a golden child
at the time,
Copy !req
382. and there was always
the next show, the next show.
Copy !req
383. He would run to the mailbox
on Monday mornings
and get the Nielsen ratings.
Copy !req
384. I think it put
a lot of pressure on Dan
Copy !req
385. to maintain
some kind of number.
Copy !req
386. I would be editing
from 8:00 a.m. to midnight.
Copy !req
387. You didn't eat,
you didn't go to the bathroom.
Copy !req
388. Dan would be like,
Copy !req
389. "Wait. Wait a minute."
You know? "Can you hold it?
Can you wait a minute?"
Copy !req
390. So, every day
was constant pressure
to get things done
Copy !req
391. faster, faster, faster.
Copy !req
392. One day, I keeled over,
Copy !req
393. and I ended up
having to go to the hospital.
Copy !req
394. And, as I'm leaving
and curled over,
Copy !req
395. I could hear someone say...
Copy !req
396. "How is the show
going to get finished?"
Copy !req
397. And I just remember saying,
"I'll be right back!"
Copy !req
398. "I'll be right back."
Copy !req
399. And then, he promised me a job
and didn't give it to me.
Copy !req
400. Not only was this job
that Dan promised me
given to someone else,
Copy !req
401. it was a younger man
Copy !req
402. who had
no experience.
Copy !req
403. I was livid.
Copy !req
404. I got up out of my chair
and I never came back.
Copy !req
405. I had enough of promises
from Dan that didn't
come true.
Copy !req
406. He was just
an egomaniac.
Copy !req
407. You know, when everybody
is just kissing your butt,
Copy !req
408. and the money's crazy,
Copy !req
409. yeah, how do you avoid that?
I don't know
how you avoid that.
Copy !req
410. In the end,
I was going through a disaster
in my marriage,
Copy !req
411. and I was not on my game.
Copy !req
412. And he never pulled me aside
Copy !req
413. and said, "Hey, man.
Talk to me. What's going on?"
Copy !req
414. Instead of giving me the note,
he would play little games
on the set,
Copy !req
415. almost trying
to get me to quit.
Copy !req
416. I was doing an episode
of All That.
Copy !req
417. We were in the middle
of rehearsals,
Copy !req
418. and Virgil got mad
at something.
Copy !req
419. I don't know
what the exchange was
or what happened.
Copy !req
420. The stage manager came to me
and said,
Copy !req
421. "You can go. We'll shoot it
and it'll be fine."
Copy !req
422. I was like, "Okay.
Copy !req
423. If Dan wants me to go,
then have Dan come over here
and tell me that."
Copy !req
424. And she said, "Look, man.
Copy !req
425. You can go."
Copy !req
426. I really considered Dan
a friend.
Copy !req
427. And the way it ended,
and the way
he didn't talk to me,
Copy !req
428. yeah, bothered me.
Copy !req
429. A lot.
Copy !req
430. To this day.
Copy !req
431. Yeah.
Copy !req
432. When Virgil left,
Copy !req
433. you definitely felt
a difference,
Copy !req
434. 'cause Virgil
was always fighting for us,
Copy !req
435. going to bat for us,
making sure we were okay.
Copy !req
436. Virgil was very good
about that.
Copy !req
437. I was excited
to start my third season.
Copy !req
438. I thought my dream
of being able
to take my family,
Copy !req
439. quite literally, out the hood
was on its way.
Copy !req
440. I kind of knew by this time
I was the real problem.
Copy !req
441. Dan treated Bryan
Copy !req
442. with caution.
Copy !req
443. Like, he side-eyed him.
Copy !req
444. And so, we're in New York City
expecting to go back.
Copy !req
445. We get a call from the agent.
She was like, "Come down."
Copy !req
446. And she told me
Copy !req
447. Bryan wasn't being
invited back.
Copy !req
448. I was crying...
Copy !req
449. because I'm 13, 14,
and I've built this family,
Copy !req
450. and now, I'm not a part
of the family anymore?
Copy !req
451. Like, dang, I didn't even
get to say goodbye
to my people.
Copy !req
452. Like my Gio, my Jack, my Kyle.
Copy !req
453. Like, when am I gonna
see them again?
Copy !req
454. I definitely blamed myself,
but I also kind of
felt like...
Copy !req
455. the times that my mom was,
you know, raising hell,
Copy !req
456. that, maybe,
that had a lot to do with
Copy !req
457. the collective
decision to kick me off.
Copy !req
458. It was "Get them out of here!"
Copy !req
459. And that's Hollywood.
Copy !req
460. But I wasn't prepared
for that.
Copy !req
461. The day
that we were told...
Copy !req
462. in that moment, he grew up,
and his body language
showed it.
Copy !req
463. Just showed this man
protruding out,
Copy !req
464. and that's a man
that didn't trust
his mom anymore.
Copy !req
465. It ruined us.
Copy !req
466. And you can't
get that...
Copy !req
467. Like, the moment,
you can't get it back.
Copy !req
468. Getting kicked
off the show definitely was
the stage-setter
Copy !req
469. for a lot of issues
that I still face today.
Copy !req
470. As a Black man in therapy,
Copy !req
471. a lot of issues
that I'm currently overcoming.
Copy !req
472. But I feel like everything
happens for a reason.
Copy !req
473. You know what I mean?
Copy !req
474. Maybe I wasn't supposed to be
on set anymore.
Copy !req
475. I had no idea
what I was saving my son from.
Copy !req
476. It was a house of horrors.
Copy !req
477. No kidding.
Copy !req
478. House of horrors.
Copy !req
479. Van Nuys division
officers have arrested
the suspected child predator,
Copy !req
480. 28-year-old
Jason Michael Handy
of Sherman Oaks.
Copy !req
481. Handy has connections
to the TV industry...
Copy !req
482. - [MJ] Phone rang and it was
a woman on the other line.
Copy !req
483. She announced herself
as a detective
from the LA police department.
Copy !req
484. And she said, "We'd like
to speak with Brandi
about Jason Handy.
Copy !req
485. Are you familiar
with that name?"
Copy !req
486. And I said,
"I am very familiar
with that name."
Copy !req
487. Jason Handy,
Copy !req
488. he looked like a goofy
white boy from Nebraska.
Copy !req
489. "Hey, guys, how you doing?
Copy !req
490. Okay, We're going to sit now."
Copy !req
491. Jason was a regular member
of the crew.
Copy !req
492. He even appeared on screen
at the end of a number
of episodes.
Copy !req
493. Jason Handy was a PA,
production assistant.
Copy !req
494. I remember him
being a pretty nice kid.
Copy !req
495. He was around a lot
Copy !req
496. because, as the PA,
Copy !req
497. like, it was his job
Copy !req
498. to basically walk the kids
around the set,
Copy !req
499. often outside of the presence
of their parents.
Copy !req
500. There's Jason.
Copy !req
501. Lisa and I would have
Bible study on set,
and Jason would join us.
Copy !req
502. He appeared to be
this really nice,
genuine person.
Copy !req
503. I had people
write notes to me,
like a yearbook.
Copy !req
504. And this is Jason.
Copy !req
505. "Keep your trust in God
and don't forget me.
Copy !req
506. You and all the kids
are why I work for free
half the week.
Copy !req
507. I love you. Jason."
Copy !req
508. Law enforcement
had been tipped off
Copy !req
509. about Jason Handy's
inappropriate behavior
towards children.
Copy !req
510. So, in 2003,
they searched his home.
Copy !req
511. They find this enormous trove
of child pornography.
Copy !req
512. "Over 10,000 images
of children,
Copy !req
513. including 1,768 images
of young girls
in erotic poses,
Copy !req
514. 238 images of young girls
in sexually explicit poses,
Copy !req
515. and two images
of girls engaged in
"bondage activity".
Copy !req
516. One of the CDs included
seven video files of minors
Copy !req
517. engaged in sexually
explicit conduct.
Copy !req
518. The officer said,
"We found Ziploc bags,
Copy !req
519. each one
with a girl's name on it,
Copy !req
520. and each Ziploc bag had...
Copy !req
521. some kind of token in it."
Copy !req
522. And she said that, "The reason
I'm calling is we found
a Ziploc bag
Copy !req
523. with Brandi's name on it.
Copy !req
524. And there were letters
from her in that Ziploc bag."
Copy !req
525. She had started describing
some of the other bags
and what were in them.
Copy !req
526. There was a Ziploc bag...
Copy !req
527. with a girl's name on it.
Copy !req
528. She was seven years old
and it was a pair
of her underwear in that bag.
Copy !req
529. She started telling me
that a lot of parents
Copy !req
530. did not wanna be involved
in the investigation,
Copy !req
531. and they said
we would really like to speak
with Brandi.
Copy !req
532. I didn't want people
to lay the blame on her
in any way.
Copy !req
533. But my decision
in allowing Brandi
to talk with the detectives
Copy !req
534. was that we would find justice
for her,
Copy !req
535. and that we would get closure.
Copy !req
536. One of the most
disturbing things
that law enforcement found
Copy !req
537. when they searched
Jason Handy's home
was Handy's own journals,
Copy !req
538. where he spells out
how he feels
about these young children.
Copy !req
539. "I am a pedophile, full blown.
Copy !req
540. I really have been giving in
to my desire for little girls
these past few weeks."
Copy !req
541. And, "I even struggle
on a day to day basis
Copy !req
542. of how I can find a victim
to rape if I have to."
Copy !req
543. [MJ] Eventually, Brandi
had to go to court
and testify against him.
Copy !req
544. There was
another family there.
Copy !req
545. Their daughter was there
to testify against Jason.
Copy !req
546. They fell into his trap also.
Copy !req
547. It went a little bit further
on their end.
Copy !req
548. Jason Handy meets another girl
on a different
Nickelodeon show,
Copy !req
549. Cousin Skeeter.
Copy !req
550. She was just a guest star
on the show.
Copy !req
551. They became friendly and...
Copy !req
552. on one day in the spring
or summer of 2000,
Copy !req
553. when the girl
was nine years old,
Copy !req
554. she and Jason Handy
were playing video games
in her bedroom.
Copy !req
555. He kissed her twice
and, on the second kiss,
Copy !req
556. he tried to force his tongue
inside her mouth.
Copy !req
557. She backed away,
feeling uncomfortable
about the kisses.
Copy !req
558. He told her
not to tell her mother
about the kisses.
Copy !req
559. He had also told
this young girl,
Copy !req
560. "I can get you
on other shows."
Copy !req
561. So, there was
that promise of...
Copy !req
562. he's going to take her far
in this business.
Copy !req
563. Ultimately, Jason
was sentenced to six years
Copy !req
564. on two felony counts
and one misdemeanor
involving two girls,
Copy !req
565. one of whom was Brandi.
Copy !req
566. Brandi!
Hi!
Copy !req
567. - Hello, Brandi!
Copy !req
568. I no longer trusted
anybody with children
in this industry.
Copy !req
569. I felt abandoned.
Copy !req
570. There was never any apology
Copy !req
571. to Brandi herself
for what happened.
Copy !req
572. Everything got swept
under the rug.
Copy !req
573. He was gone.
He was disappeared.
Copy !req
574. And folks talked about it
a little bit.
Copy !req
575. But there's this sort of,
like, steamroller effect
Copy !req
576. of the pressure
of the environment...
Copy !req
577. that the show must go on.
Copy !req
578. Jason was arrested
in April of 2003.
Copy !req
579. Just four months later,
another member of the crew
was arrested.
Copy !req
580. Wait! Two pedophiles?
What is that?
Copy !req
581. What is that?
Copy !req
582. Look, there's Brian Peck,
Copy !req
583. AKA Pickle Boy.
Copy !req
584. Pickle Boy
likes to hurt
and tease pickles.
Copy !req
585. Pickle Boy was this,
like, character
Copy !req
586. that returned again
and again and again
Copy !req
587. throughout the seasons
of All That.
Copy !req
588. Pickle Boy appeared
in every episode,
Copy !req
589. and he's often
interacting with a celebrity.
Copy !req
590. Anyone?
Copy !req
591. I gotta get something to eat!
Copy !req
592. A pickle.
Copy !req
593. We just
went with it.
Copy !req
594. Pickles? Look, this is
the mind of Dan Schneider.
You gotta ask him.
Copy !req
595. There was this referencing
to like,
Copy !req
596. "Oh, yeah! Dan just has
a weird sense of humor."
Copy !req
597. That was like...
Copy !req
598. "The pickles don't look
like penises to you?"
Copy !req
599. This is
a children's television show.
Copy !req
600. Wait, why is this in the show?
What is...
Copy !req
601. What is the joke here exactly?
Copy !req
602. There's this weird element
of, like,
Copy !req
603. they all were able to, like,
pull a fast one
and get away with it.
Copy !req
604. And that's, like,
a part of the joke.
Copy !req
605. Brian Peck
worked closely with Dan
as this dialogue coach.
Copy !req
606. And Brian is seen as this guy
on set who's just helping
with the kids.
Copy !req
607. He's very much one of the cogs
in the Dan Schneider machine.
Copy !req
608. I'll see you in hell!
Copy !req
609. Brian first connected
with Dan's World
Copy !req
610. playing small roles
in Good Burger
and Kenan and Kel.
Copy !req
611. Let's get these balls
a bouncin'.
Copy !req
612. And there are these
behind-the-scenes clips
Copy !req
613. where you see Brian Peck
joking around on set.
Copy !req
614. I... I'm not just Pickle Boy,
but I'm also
a trained professional
Copy !req
615. who works here
on the set of All That.
Copy !req
616. You can tell by my very
important-looking headset.
Copy !req
617. I'm sorry. Hang on.
Copy !req
618. Yeah, do you want fries
with that?
Copy !req
619. Everybody loved Brian.
Copy !req
620. He was charming,
he was clever,
Copy !req
621. and he was around
all the time.
Copy !req
622. We played foosball with Brian.
Copy !req
623. We played Nintendo with Brian.
Copy !req
624. He was funny.
Copy !req
625. It's also important to note,
like, all the parents
loved him, too.
Copy !req
626. Like, everybody trusted Brian.
Copy !req
627. I would walk
on Brian's back.
Copy !req
628. I guess, looking at it now
as an adult,
Copy !req
629. that was kind of weird.
Copy !req
630. "Hey, Giovonnie, thank you
for walking on my back.
Copy !req
631. It really cut down
on my chiropractic
bills."
Copy !req
632. But there are moments
where Brian joking around
on set
Copy !req
633. feels a little bit off.
Copy !req
634. Later, Kyle.
Copy !req
635. But we were there
for so many hours,
Copy !req
636. you'd get comfortable
with people...
Copy !req
637. until you're not.
Copy !req
638. I remember,
at the time,
Copy !req
639. I think it was about, like,
two and a half years in,
Copy !req
640. everyone went to Brian's house
for a barbecue.
Copy !req
641. And his house
was a little off.
Copy !req
642. He had a room
that was just dedicated
to, like,
Copy !req
643. vintage toys and comic books,
Copy !req
644. and he converted his garage
into, like, a Planet
of the Apes shrine.
Copy !req
645. I noticed a painting
in the room
that stuck out to me
Copy !req
646. because it had nothing to do
with Planet of the Apes.
Copy !req
647. It was of a birthday clown
holding balloons.
Copy !req
648. And Brian got very excited
when I asked him about it.
Copy !req
649. He flipped the thing around
and, on the back, it said,
Copy !req
650. "To Brian, I hope you enjoy
the painting.
Copy !req
651. Best wishes.
Your friend, John Wayne Gacy."
Copy !req
652. It was a self-portrait
of serial killer
John Wayne Gacy.
Copy !req
653. At this point, I'm, like, 14.
Copy !req
654. I didn't know, like,
the details,
Copy !req
655. but I knew, like, this guy
is a serial killer
Copy !req
656. who, like, killed
a lot of young men and boys.
Copy !req
657. My instinct was, like,
everyone has to see this.
Copy !req
658. And so, like, all the parents
and the kids
come into the room.
Copy !req
659. And, then, Brian presents
the painting again.
Copy !req
660. And Brian actually developed
a pen pal relationship
with John.
Copy !req
661. He kept, like, this pile
of letters and photos
from John Wayne Gacy
Copy !req
662. in his nightstand
next to his bed.
Copy !req
663. And he, like, pulls them out
and starts showing them to me.
Copy !req
664. Your instinct
is to give someone
the benefit of the doubt
Copy !req
665. if you've known them
for that long,
Copy !req
666. even in the face of, like,
this really bad sign.
Copy !req
667. It was one of those,
like, classic failures
of group psychology,
Copy !req
668. this man who is, like, trusted
Copy !req
669. as basically a supervisor
of kids...
Copy !req
670. is not safe.
Copy !req
671. It was probably just, like,
several months after this.
Copy !req
672. One Monday morning,
we have the table read.
Copy !req
673. That table read was so weird.
Copy !req
674. The energy was really off.
Copy !req
675. There were people
that I had not seen before.
Copy !req
676. And after we, like,
do the table read, Dan says,
Copy !req
677. "Would it be possible
for the parents to leave
the room for a moment
Copy !req
678. so that our friends
can talk to the kids?"
Copy !req
679. We thought
it was an announcement.
Copy !req
680. Like, "Hey, we're gonna
go over some stuff."
Copy !req
681. And this happens
just after Brian Peck
is arrested
Copy !req
682. on 11 charges
of child sexual abuse.
Copy !req
683. And these charges
are related to a child actor.
Copy !req
684. We were like, "What?
Copy !req
685. Are you sure? Brian Peck?"
Copy !req
686. And, then,
these guys
Copy !req
687. said something to the effect
of, like, "Brian isn't gonna
be here anymore.
Copy !req
688. Does anyone have anything
they'd like to say?"
Copy !req
689. That was one of the most
awkward silences of my life.
Copy !req
690. Everyone was, like,
looking at everyone else.
Copy !req
691. Basically wondering, like,
is someone gonna admit
Copy !req
692. that, like, they were abused
by Brian?
Copy !req
693. Thinking about it now,
as an adult,
Copy !req
694. and having the parents
leave the room...
Copy !req
695. that was a little sus.
Copy !req
696. At the time,
that experience
was really disillusioning.
Copy !req
697. It left a lasting impact on me
in terms of how
the world works.
Copy !req
698. We go through enough
as child actors,
Copy !req
699. and for us to not feel like
we have a voice,
Copy !req
700. that's worse...
Copy !req
701. 'Cause you don't know
who you're supposed to trust.
Copy !req
702. After this, like,
very awkward pregnant pause,
Copy !req
703. the lawyerly fellows
were like, "Okay,
thank you very much."
Copy !req
704. And, then, Dan was like,
"All right!"
Copy !req
705. And then, everyone got up,
and that was that.
Copy !req
706. To hear
that Brian Peck
was a sexual predator,
Copy !req
707. it made me wonder
immediately about...
Copy !req
708. who was being hurt.
Copy !req
709. Who it is, when it happened,
where it happened,
Copy !req
710. I have no idea.
Copy !req
711. It wasn't dealing with anybody
on the shows
or anything, right?
Copy !req
712. It was
a child actor.
Copy !req
713. On one of our shows?
Copy !req
714. Yes.
Copy !req