An Emotional Kenan Thompson Addresses the Shocking Kid TV Docuseries: 'Quiet on Set'

The bombshell docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” exposed the toxic workplace and alleged abuse that took place at Nickelodeon in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. It’s a heartbreaking tale of how so many adults failed to protect the network’s young stars. One of Nickelodeon’s biggest names during that time was Kenan Thompson. During a recent appearance on “Tamron Hall,” the longtime “SNL” cast member got emotional as he discussed his reaction to the docuseries and how he feels about his time with the kids’ cable channel.

“Quiet on Set” puts a lot of focus on Dan Schneider, the man behind the company’s biggest hits. He was an executive producer on “All That” and one season of “Kenan & Kel.” Thompson explained that he didn’t participate in the doc because many of the incidents detailed in the project happened when he was no longer with Nickelodeon.

“I can’t really speak on things that I’ve never witnessed…Dan wasn’t really on ‘Kenan and Kel’ like that. He got a ‘created by’ credit but it was a different showrunner, so our worlds weren’t overlapping like that outside of ‘All That’ necessarily,” he said. “Then all that negativity kind of started happening outside of our tenure there. So I wasn’t really aware of a lot of it, but my heart goes out to anybody that’s been victimized or their families.”

Even though he’s had a long, successful career as a comedian and actor, Kenan has never forgotten his child star roots. He and Kel Mitchell recently returned to their most famous roles in the 2023 film, “Good Burger 2.” He explained to Hall how his love for those early days has made all these revelations difficult to process.

“I think it’s a good thing that the doc is out and is putting things on display—stories that need to be told for accountability sake,” Thompson said. “But it’s definitely tough to watch because I have fond memories of that place. And I have fond memories of my co-stars, so, to hear that they’ve gone through terrible things like that, it’s just, it’s really tough.”

Towards the end of their conversation, when Tamron notes that the production company says “they investigate all of the allegations,” Kenan interjected that they needed to “investigate more!”

“It’s supposed to be a safe place,” he said. “It’s supposed to be a safe place for kids and to hear all about that it’s just like, ‘How dare you?’”

For many of us, Kenan and Kel are the stars we most associate with that period. For him to speak so strongly against the powers that be who weren’t taking care of the network’s child stars is crucial in making sure the adults are held accountable for their poor judgment. His continued success and lack of the usual child star problems makes him uniquely qualified to advocate for his former co-stars and friends. Let’s hope it makes a difference for the victims.

“Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” is available to stream on Max.

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