Emma Roberts Says Quiet on Set Docuseries 'Really Kept Me Up at Night' and Made Her 'Really Sad' 

The actress has responded to the shocking docuseries — exposing the abuse of former child stars — which aired in March

Emma Roberts
Photo:

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

Emma Roberts is sharing her reaction to the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV docuseries.

The actress and former child star, 33, said she was left “horrified and shocked” after watching the disturbing docuseries — which revealed claims of child abuse from former Nickelodeon child stars —as she shared her positive experience working with the network as a young actress.

“I was completely horrified and shocked because that was not my experience,” Roberts told Variety in an interview published on July 5. “It made me really, really, really sad that that was happening to people that I literally saw often and had no idea.”

Roberts — who starred in her own show, Nickelodeon's Unfabulous (2004-2007), from age 13 — then spoke of her time working on her TV series at the network.

Drake Bell master interview shot, from the ID Documentary "Quiet on Set" 2024.
Roberts said she was 'horrified' by the the 'Quiet on Set' docuseries.

Courtesy Investigation Discovery

“The showrunner we had was this amazing woman named Sue Rose. And I didn’t realize at the time, but a female showrunner back then was not very common,” she recalled. “But that was my intro into working on a TV show.”

“Also, my mom was with me 24/7, and even I would be like, ‘You don’t have to be here all the time,’ she was like, ‘I do actually. I’m not letting you out of my sight. You’re not going to a fitting by yourself when you’re 13 years old.’ ”

Roberts added that watching her peers speak about their experiences of abuse as child actors “makes me really sad.”

“I just feel like children need to be protected on sets, as do adults, and I feel like we’re working towards a better work environment in that sense. But yeah, that documentary really kept me up at night,” she told Variety.

Eric Roberts, Emma Roberts, and Eliza Roberts during "Snow White - An Enchanting New Musical" Premiere.
Emma said she had a positive experience as a child actor (pictured with her dad Eric Roberts and wife Eliza).

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

In Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, several former child actors came forward about the toxic culture and abuse they endured on children’s television shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including many produced by Dan Schneider.

The revelations made in the docuseries included actor Drake Bell speaking out about being sexually assaulted by a Nickelodeon dialogue coach, sexism accusations made against Schneider by two female writers of The Amanda Show, and several other allegations of a disturbing environment behind the scenes at Nickelodeon from former cast and crew members.

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An internal investigation into the abuse allegations at the network led to Schneider leaving his position in 2018. He has denied allegations of misconduct.

Nickelodeon said, in a statement to PEOPLE in March regarding alleged behaviors on past production sets: “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.”

“Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience," the statement continued.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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