Kenan Thompson is speaking out after the documentary “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” explored the mistreatment of child stars at Nickelodeon.
Thompson appeared on the “Tamron Hall” show on March 27 to speak about his new memoir, “When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice From a Professional Clown,” in which he discusses his work with another longtime child star from the network, Amanda Bynes.
The documentary about the children’s platform described abuse on the sets of several shows by producer Dan Schneider. Schneider was accused of creating a toxic working environment and engaging in inappropriate behavior with 10-year-old Bynes, such as getting back rubs from the child star. He is also accused of writing sexually suggestive jokes for his child actors with inappropriate visuals.
Thompson began his acting career as a child, starring on the network’s teen comedy series “All That” in 1994. He remained on the show for years even after collaborating with Kel Mitchell for their own show.
According to Entertainment Weekly, he compared Bynes to comedic actresses Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball in his book and spoke about her troubles in her teen years. The young actress was arrested for several DUIs as a teen and later placed under guardianship due to mental health issues.
“She was the best, man; we were very close. She was like all of our little sister, and we were all very protective of her,” Thompson wrote. “Unfortunately, some leeches sent her down a dark path.”
#AllThat premiered on this day 25 years ago! Take a look back at the show's best comedy sketches featuring Amanda Bynes, Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, and more. https://t.co/sVHzHRwacc pic.twitter.com/jTMSQTxX71
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) April 16, 2019
Thompson told Hall that he still cares about Bynes but he didn’t witness any of Schneider’s inappropriate behavior while he was at Nickelodeon because he moved on to his own show at the network, “Kenan & Kel,” which ran from 1996-2000. But it has been “tough” for him watching things unfold.
“It’s a tough subject, you know, because it’s tough for me. I can’t really speak on things that I never witnessed, you know what I’m saying? ‘Cause all these things happened after I left, basically, and Dan wasn’t really on ‘Kenan and Kel’ like that,” he explained.
Thompson added, “I mean, he got a credit, but you know, it was a different showrunner, so our worlds weren’t really like, overly, you know overlapping like that outside of ‘All That’ necessarily, and then all that negativity kind of started.”
The 45-year-old is glad the documentary was made so that those responsible can be held accountable. He also showed support to his co-stars, whom he said he had fond memories of working with at Nickelodeon.
“My heart goes out to, you know, anybody that’s been victimized or their families, you know what I mean? I mean like, I think it’s a good thing that the doc,” he continued.
“It’s, you know, putting things, you know, on display that need to be, you know, stories that need to be told for this, you know, accountability sake,” he added. “It’s definitely tough to watch, because I have fond memories of that place, you know, and I have fond memories of, you know, my co-stars and stuff like that. So, to hear that they’ve gone through terrible things like that, it’s just — it’s really tough.”
“Investigate more! It’s supposed to be a safe space. It’s supposed to be a safe place for kids,” he concluded. “To hear all about that is just like, ‘How dare you?'”
Fans can soon see Thompson in “Good Burger 2,” the sequel to his and Mitchell’s hit 1997 comedy “Good Burger.” Thompson’s book, “When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice From a Professional Clown” is currently available in bookstores and on Amazon.
Other former Nickelodeon child stars have also spoken out since the documentary’s release, such as Drake Bell, John Peck, Chris Massey and his mother Angel.
After his mother was called out for seemingly defending Schneider and the “exemplary” time she had working with him and Nickelodeon, Chris said, “My story will be told from me…. Not from a parent, a friend, a co worker…. ME!!! And only ME.”
He has yet to disclose any explanation on what that means.
