Melissa Joan Hart “one hundred percent” believes the allegations made against Nickelodeon in the “Quiet on Set” documentary despite having a “wonderful experience” at the network herself.
Hart, 47, told Meghan McCain on Thursday that while she hasn’t seen the doc — which details the abuse Drake Bell suffered at the hands of voice coach Brian Peck — she fully supports those who came forward.
“I absolutely trust them, believe them, one hundred percent,” Hart, who started her career on “Clarissa Explains It All” in 1991, said on the “Meghan McCain Has Entered The Chat” podcast.
However, the “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” star noted that she never heard any similar horror stories herself while working at the network as a teen.
“I don’t know other people’s experiences and I’m not negating anything anybody else says,” she stressed.
“I’ve never been told these people’s stories that are in the documentary. And I have to say, I’ve never heard a story from a Nickelodeon star personally, no one’s come to me and talked to me about any of these situations,” she continued.
Along with Bell, several other former child stars and employees spoke out on showrunner Dan Schneider’s alleged inappropriate behavior on set — including allegations of sexism and racism.
Hart noted that most of the alleged issues took place at the Hollywood filming location while she was stationed in Orlando from 1989 to 1994.
“In Orlando I had nothing but a wonderful experience,” she said, before admitting that “they did work the kids a lot harder than they probably legally should” due to the state’s child labor laws.
“We had a ton of fun, it was just long hours, that’s all — because I had to do school and the show,” she continued.
While working on the show was time-consuming, Hart was surrounded by “an amazing crew” and “an incredible cast” that took “such good care” of her.
“I mean, these people were protective of me,” she emphasized, noting that she felt “very safe” in their care.
“So I don’t know if it was the difference in Orlando, or the time period or whoever these guys were they weren’t around but I have to say not every egg in the Nickelodeon basket is rotten.”
While Hart left the network in the mid-’90s, Peck began sexually assaulting the then-15-year-old Bell in the early 2000s.
The “Drake & Josh” star sued Peck in 2004 for sexual abuse; however, he remained anonymous in the lawsuit. The voice coach pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
