The mother of “Zoey 101” star Chris Massey and “That’s So Raven” star Kyle Massey says blame the parents of children who were mistreated or abused while starring in shows on Nickelodeon.
The two child stars launched their comedic acting careers at Nickelodeon and Disney over 20 years ago. But their momager is being slammed for throwing her support behind Dan Schneider, a producer at Nickelodeon, amidst the massive fallout from the “Quiet On The Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” documentary.
Produced by Investigation Discovery, the four-part docuseries delved into the alleged abuses and toxic workplace behaviors that occurred at the children’s network during the ’90s and 2000s under Schneider’s leadership.
One distressing case highlighted in the series involved megastar and former child actor Jared Drake Bell of “Drake & Josh,” who disclosed being a victim of sexual abuse perpetrated by a worker involved in several of the producer’s acclaimed shows.
“All That’ star Bryan Hearne recalled being subjected to tokenism, racial slurs, and other demeaning remarks during his stint as one of the few Black child actors who worked for Nickelodeon. He said he was typecast as a “teen drug dealer” and treated differently than his non-Black actors.
Schneider left the network in 2018 after an internal investigation into his behavior and the allegations of abuse.
Still, mom Angela Massey, who goes by Angel, took to Instagram to weigh in on the production and the parents who took issue with the man who made one of her sons television stars.
“Dan Schneider You are awesome. You are a genius. I can’t thank this guy enough for the opportunity he gave my son @chrismasseytmb and my family. Blame the parents, not Dan,” Angel Massey wrote in an Instagram over an image of Schneider, Chris and others on stage at the Kids’ Choice Awards in 2014.
In another post, mother Massey said she had a “exemplary experience” working with the disgraced producer, while sharing screenshots of headlines about him. It featured another screenshot of an TMZ employee over the headline, “Dan Schneider Denies Sexualizing Nickelodeon Child Stars.”
She asked that they write an updated story about her son Kyle, who was accused of and charged of sending sexually explicit videos, photos, and texts to a 13-year-old girl between December 2018 and January 2019. Angel further accused TMZ of “falsely” reporting the case and that “Kyle went to prison.”
Social media users began relentlessly scolding Angel for failing to acknowledge what her son was charged with instead of directing her energy at an outlet comparable to The Shade Room.
In an Instagram Live video, Angel said, “I posted a comment about somebody that has been nice to us. Somebody that has never done anything to us and when I said that it was the parents’ fault. … Who allows their children to get a ride with a staff member to work? Who allows their children to spend the night with staff members? That’s what I was talking about.”
“Y’all not hurting my feelings,” she added.
Angel Massey was referencing Bell’s mother, Robin Dodson, who allowed her son to travel with and spend the night over dialogue coach Brian Peck’s house. Peck would later sexually abuse Bell for years until he finally told his mother when he was 15 years old.
The Nickelodeon documentary reveals that Peck was recorded confessing to the crime and later convicted in 2003. He only served 16 months in prison after pleading no contest to two child sexual abuse charges and was required to register as a sex offender.
Angel claims her sons were never on set without her or a family member, stating, “We can’t be with our children 24/7. We also have to take responsibility for our part in decisions or lack there of my comment was only addressing parents letting their children spend the night with staff members on any set.”
Later she confessed that she didn’t watch the documentary and had no plans to do so.
“I want to remember Dan Schneider as the person that he was to us. We had an exemplary ride with Nickelodeon,” she said, adding, “We had an exemplary ride with Dan Schneider.”
Social media was quick to weigh in, blasting Angela Massey for what they deemed as her callous comments about the victims and defending the showrunner.
One person wrote, “Sooo If A Man Molests A Child But Not YOUR Child… He’s Still Good In Your Book, Got it. Character Quality Is Screaming!”
“Christopher and Kyle Massey’s mom is completely oblivious to her own statements on Blame The Parents, not Dan Schneider. So her son decided to sext minors, she’s to blame, right?!” another post on X read.
The more I learn about Angel Massey, the more I TRULY believe blame the parents AND Dan Schneider. Girls HWUT?! Have you MET your sons?!?! It's always everyone at fault BUT them?! Yes, I blame YOU!😒https://t.co/tqvUZZjnSLhttps://t.co/K5qrZMPOry pic.twitter.com/OAGLy6Cw7S
— You Don't Have The Range 🪑 (@SceneByAshlix) March 21, 2024
Meanwhile, her 34-year-old son, Chris Massey, appears to distance himself from his mom’s comments. In a since-deleted post on his Instagram Stories, he wrote, “My story will be told from me…. Not from a parent, a friend, a co worker…. ME!!! And only ME … so please stop messaging me about what my mom said …. Respectfully.”
One person who responded in The Shade Room’s comments said, “& if her son comes out and says he was a victim… remember she’s the one who said blame the parents.”
In Las Vegas in 2016, according to TMZ, Chris Massey was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence. The incident involved his then-girlfriend, Cassalei Jackson, whom he was accused of violently pushing to the ground.
However, he was subsequently released on bail, and Jackson, the daughter of “Moesha” star Shar Jackson and Kevin Federline, never pressed charges. The situation unfolded after Jackson purportedly fell while leaving a club. Security initially suspected Massey had pushed her because they had been reportedly arguing loudly at the party.
since we blaming parents… https://t.co/6Sv60Qm6RG pic.twitter.com/dfMq1Jrcxu
— DE'RON 🌞 (@deronworld) March 21, 2024
Angel’s younger son, Kyle, is currently fighting a case more sinister than his brother.
Charging documents state that the “Cory in the House” star denies all wrongdoing to the crimes that took place when he was 30 and could leave him to face up to 10 years in prison.
“I’ve been silenced. I’ve been quiet and I’ve been keeping to myself for many, many years now […] we’re going on six years that I’ve been dealing with this, and I haven’t made any public statements regarding it or any updates,” the 32-year-old said in an interview with Law & Crime.
“I just need the world to hear and understand what’s really going on,” he explained last April.
One of his mother Angel’s issues is that no one is listening to Kyle’s story and says in several posts that instead of crucifying Schneider, the media should be joining her in her fight to clear her son’s name.
