“There was an episode where Rosalina ‘cheated’ on Nat and kind of kissed a French guy,” she recalled. “He’s a 30-year-old man. I’m sorry, I couldn’t even watch it. It gives me f—ing the ick and it honestly gives me PTSD.”
Another Nickelodeon star is speaking out amid the allegations made against Dan Schneider and Brian Peck in the ID docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
Allie DiMeco, who starred in The Naked Brother’s Band, shared a TikTok detailing an incident where she felt forced to kiss a much older co-star despite voicing she didn’t want to do it.
DiMeco said watching the doc “stressed” her out as she relived the “trauma” she went through while filming the Nickelodeon show.
“There was an episode where Rosalina ‘cheated’ on Nat and kind of kissed a French guy,” she recalled. “He’s a 30-year-old man. I’m sorry, I couldn’t even watch it. It gives me f—ing the ick and it honestly gives me PTSD.”
“I’m watching this Quiet on Set documentary, and it’s talking about how integral and vital it is to create — especially when it’s a kids cast — to create an environment where kids feel comfortable to say ‘No’ or ‘I don’t feel comfortable with this,'” the former Nickelodeon star continued. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, maybe they do express that though, it’s also more important to create an environment that listens to the kids and actually does not make them do things when they don’t want to do them.”
@missalliedimeco Hot topics and hot hands. #judgementday #quietonset #nickelodeon #mystory ♬ original sound – Allie DiMeco
DiMeco went on to claim that she told producers “many times” that she didn’t want to do it, and even got her mom involved, but felt she’d lose her job if she didn’t comply.
“My mom was very against it and they pretty much made me feel like I was going to lose my job, that I might be fired if I didn’t do it. It was weird,” she shared.
DiMeco, who said she was 14 or 15 years old when the scene was filmed, claimed that the actor who starred opposite her, Jake Hertzog, was more than 30-years-old when they shared that on-screen kiss.
Online sources note, however, that Hertzog was born in 1986, making him about 21 at the time the scene was filmed.
These allegations are just the latest to come out following the scathing documentary, which saw former Nick star, Drake Bell, reveal he was sexually assaulted by Peck.
As for why he shared his story so many years later, Bell said during an appearance on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast, that while there was a lot of reluctance on his part at first, a trip to rehab and extensive therapy made him decide he was ready.
He also invited his father, who’d been pushed out of his life all those years ago through his abuser’s manipulations, to be a part of it, as well, hoping it might be “cathartic and beneficial” for him.
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Drake Bell on Why He Finally Shared His Story, ‘Pretty Empty’ Response from Nickelodeon
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Nickelodeon’s official response was also a part of the story, though Bell wasn’t all that impressed by it. In their response to Bell’s story, Nickelodeon said in a statement, “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.”
“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct.”
Bell said, “It was a very well-tailored response saying, ‘Learning about his trauma,’ because they couldn’t say that they didn’t know about this or what had happened, or anything. So I think that was a really well-tailored response by probably some big attorney in Hollywood.”
“I find it pretty empty, their responses, because, I mean, they still show our shows, they still put our shows on. And I have to pay for my own therapy,” he added.
“If there was anything, if there was any truth behind them actually caring, there would be something more than quotes on a page by obviously a legal representative telling them exactly how to tailor a response.”
As for Schneider, who had a myriad of allegations of toxic and abusive on-set behavior and inappropriately sexual content on his shows leveled against him in the doc, Bell reiterated the fact that it was Schneider who had reached out to him after Peck’s trial.
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How and Why Drake Bell Turned Tables on His Abuser, Confronted Brian Peck’s Supporters in Court
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“He knew what I was probably dealing with, but I could tell in his voice that he got very– there was a lot of hurt and anger, but he was very sensitive to me, and that was my experience,” Bell said.
At the same time, while acknowledging that his experience with Schneider was very different to those of many of his young colleagues, Bell said he would never want to minimize their voices or stories.
“I can only react and respond to what I’ve actually experienced and also not say anything that would take away from somebody else having the comfortability and strength and bravery to tell their story and share their experiences,” said Bell.
