Another former Nickelodeon star has joined the likes of Kenan Thompson and Josh Peck in reacting to the bombshell docuseries Quiet on Set, which unpacks the alleged toxic work culture at the kids’ network. Keke Palmer, who starred on Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP from 2008 to 2011, said on the latest episode of her podcast that the Emmy-nominated project “did a good job at showcasing…the mentality of being a child that works, that’s making money, that’s supporting their family. That’s also a stressful kind of thing that you don’t expect to experience as a child.”
Before welcoming her fellow former Nickelodeon stars Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne, who participated in both Quiet on Set and an extra episode about the aftermath of the docuseries, Palmer spoke to her mother, Sharon, about their early days in show business. “In my experiences with you in this industry, I had moments where people tried to push us away from each other or try to come in between us,” Keke recalled. “You never would allow that kind of thing to go down. It created this tension in our relationship—I definitely felt overly controlled and confined, and almost like I was in a prison sometimes. But when I look back, I feel like you were really just being protective of me.”
Palmer also asked her mother for her thoughts on network mogul Dan Schneider, who did not create Palmer’s series, but did helm Nickelodeon hits The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, and iCarly, among others. “I honestly do remember you having a lot to say about the Dan Schneider sets,” Palmer told her mother. “I remember you feeling a way about Nickelodeon and how they kind of—no shade, no tea—but I do wanna hear what you have to say.”
“My honest opinion is I thought the whole atmosphere of the Dan Schneider set was very weird. It was very cultish,” Palmer’s mother replied. “The parents were very secretive, and I honestly thought they all took themselves way too seriously. The whole conversation was, ‘Oh my God, what’s happening next? Did you hear they’re gonna cancel this show? What’s coming next?’ It was always so frantic about what was being canceled.” Shows created by Schneider were cited several times on Quiet on Set, which painted the creator as volatile. After the docuseries premiered, Schneider issued an apology video in reaction to some of the allegations of racism and sexism against him, then filed a defamation lawsuit against the producers of the series.
The now 30-year-old Palmer booked True Jackson after starring in several other high-profile projects, including 2006’s Akeelah and the Bee and the Disney Channel original movie Jump In!. “I always looked at you being at Nickelodeon as being at a stopping station,” Sharon continued. “You didn’t get your start on Nickelodeon or Disney. You were blessed and fortunate enough to work in adult situations and kid situations. My mentality about the entertainment business wasn’t that Disney Channel or Nickelodeon was the end all to be all, but a lot of the parents did.”