Following the bombshell docuseries, ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’, former ‘The Amanda Show’ alum Raquel Lee Bolleau is speaking out.
If you watched the docuseries, then you know several former Nickelodeon employees came forward to tell their stories and accuse the network of abuse, specifically about former producer Dan Schneider‘s behavior on the sets of his shows.
Many former child actors who worked on his shows have hinted at or directly accused him of inappropriate behavior.
Allegations Made Against ‘The Amanda Show’ Production
MEGA
Decades after ‘The Amanda Show’ wrapped, allegations by cast and crew members have come out and accused production and the network of salary discrimination, s-xism, inappropriate behavior, and s-xual abuse at Nickelodeon during the show’s run.
While Amanda Bynes, herself, has yet to comment on the docuseries, another ‘Amanda Show’ alum, who appeared in ‘Quiet On Set’, is speaking out.
“Ever since I can remember, I always knew I wanted to be an actress,” Raquel Lee Bolleau began in a lengthy Instagram post addressing the docuseries, “Born and raised in LA, casting directors and talent scouts used to stop my mom in the mall and ask if she had me in television… I knew pretty early on that’s what I was meant to be.”
She continued to explain how hard she worked as a child, “leaving school early for auditions, driving hours in traffic to and from acting classes” and it paid off as she finally “got my big break.”
‘The Amanda Show’ Changed Raquel Lee Bolleau’s Life
After landing a gig on ‘The Amanda Show’, she knew it would change her life, “but not in the way I thought.”
“I had entered into a new season of my life that I wasn’t ready for,” she continued to tell her followers and fans in the social media post, “The daily struggles on set to find acceptance, being the token ‘black friend’ always!, doing your best but always feeling overlooked.”
Bolleau is not the first former Nickelodeon child star to bring up her experience with racism while at the network, as former ‘All That’ star Bryan Hearne accused Dan Schneider of having “a nicer relationship with some of the other white kids.”
Raquel Lee Bolleau Has ‘Been In Deep Pain’ Following ‘Quiet On Set’
Instagram | Raquel Lee Bolleau
‘Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV’, which features several actors and actresses from the sets of iconic Nickelodeon shows, as they open up about their time with the network.
While she was part of the docuseries, Raquel Lee Bolleau says watching the documentary back has caused her “deep pain.”
” To know that I am not alone in some of the things I experienced as a child actor, but to also hear the types of environments I was in as a kid without even knowing, just sickens my stomach,” she expressed, adding, “I know that everything happens for a reason and we all deserve to heal from our trauma, but this is so hard to take in.”
‘The Industry Has Caused Me A Lot Of Pain’
Instagram | Raquel Lee Bolleau
The former Nickelodeon star admitted that she “struggled to be a part of this documentary” because “this industry has caused me a lot of pain.”
However, “there was still something in me that felt I shouldn’t say anything that I went through because ‘what if people don’t want to work with me anymore’ but then I realized, I’ve been fighting to be seen and heard for sooooo long in this industry.”
Adding, “I’ve paid my dues, I’ve put in the work, and now I can be ok walking away with my head held high. What’s most important is that we all begin our healing, now that we have more clarity and truth.”
Fans React To ‘Quiet On Set’
YouTube | DanWarp
Many social media users have expressed their thoughts on the ‘Quiet On Set’ docuseries, with many slamming the network and Dan Schneider as others thank the stars and crew for their bravery.
“I’m watching ‘Quiet on The Set’ and I need to know how can someone who r-pes a child on more than 1 occasion get only 16 months in jail. How is that even possible?” one X user asked.
This individual was referring to Drake Bell, who accused his manager and voice instructor Brian Peck of s-xual abuse, which he says happened more than once. Peck served 16 months in jail, and then returned to television to work on the Disney Channel teen show ‘The Suite Life Of Zach and Cody’.
Another claimed, “Shut all them kid channels down. No more kids on set. Stick to making cartoons and have grown-ups voice them. Kid shows don’t have to have kids in them. It needs to go!”
‘Quiet On Set’ is streaming on MAX.