The sad behind - the - scenes world of our favorite childhood shows .
Being a child star onDisneyChannel or Nickelodeon used to sound like a dream come true. However, throughout the years, some of the networks' most prominent actors have spoken up about how distressing the experience truly is.
Between Disney’s unrealistic expectations and countless misconduct claims from Nickelodeon’s sets, childhood stardom has been exposed as a potentially harmful experience. And honestly, it’s important to amplify the voices of those actors brave enough to speak up.
1.As a teen,Jennette McCurdywas photographed in a bikini during a Nickelodeonwardrobe fitting. She was also pressured to drink alcohol on theiCarlyset and got yelled at while filming an uncomfortable kiss with costarNathan Kress.
2.Alyson Stonerwas medically undernourished and chronically stressed at the tender age of 12. It was the result of “inappropriate and hazardous” set conditions that violated child labor laws. Still, she considers herself one of the lucky ones, noting that many otherterrible things"happened on all of those sets."
3.Demi Lovato’s been very vocal about how unhealthy her Disney Channel days were. Among her many struggles as a child star (includingdrug useandsexual abuse), she was alsooverworked on set.
4.In the documentaryLight Girls,Raven-Symonémentionedthat she used to tan several times a week while filmingThat’s So Raven. One day, a lighting tech on set told her she needed to stop tanning. “You’re getting too dark, and we need to relight the whole entire show,“Raven-Symonérecalled.
5.Victoriousstar Daniella Monet once contacted Nickelodeon with concerns over a scene involving lip gloss and a pickle that feltsexually suggestive. She claims the network refused to cut the scene. Monet also expressed unease over some of the outfits the young characters wore in the show.
6.Alexa Nikolasfelt vulnerable as a young actor while on the set ofZoey 101. She called out the series creator by name,saying, “He played a huge role in my personal childhood trauma. I didn’t feel safe around Dan Schneider; every time he came on set, my body got extremely tense.”
7.Miley Cyrusworked through a wild schedule as a Disney Channel child star, putting in 12-hour days while filmingHannah Montana. The hours were so brutal that her mother, Tish Cyrus,suggestedbringing in lights for seasonal affective disorder.
Illegal work schedule aside, being onHannah Montanaalso gave Miley Cyrus unrealistic beauty standards. “From the time I was 11, it was, ‘You’re a pop star!'” she toldMarie Claire. “That means you have to be blonde, and you have to have long hair, and you have to put on some glittery tight thing.”
8.In a 2016video,All That’s Angelique Bates opened up about being “physically, mentally, emotionally abused” by her mother on set. The Nickelodeon producers and cast members who witnessed the abuse did nothing to help, with some adults urging her to keep quiet.
9.Joe Jonastolerated Disney Channel’s “terrible” writing and strict rules in fear that it was his only chance at success. This included shaving every day because they wanted him to look like a 16-year-old on set when he was actually 20 years old.
10.Bella Thornewas forced to be a different person on- and off-set during her Disney days. The notoriously strict network allegedly almostfired herafter being photographed wearing a bikini on the beach.
11.Zendayaand Bella Thorne got tossed into a bizarre competition during the whole first season ofShake It Up. The girls wanted to be friends, but their time on set was madeincredibly awkwardby people who insisted on fueling comparisons.
12.Tyisha Hampton appeared on Nickelodeon’sKenan & Keland was married to Kel Mitchell from 1999 to 2005. Hamptonallegedlywitnessed countless horrible things on set, and she was sexually harassed so much that she would hide in Kel’s dressing room.
13.In 2017, Rowan Blanchard toldNylonthat “working for Disney was stressful.” In adifferent interview, she admitted that nobody directly silenced her, but that “the subtext is always there. I worked for a corporation for four years that is known for silencing and crafting your voice.”
14.Cole Sprouse and his twin brother Dylanobservedthat “the young women on the channel we were on were so heavily sexualized.” That channel was, of course, Disney.
Cole Sprouse alsoclaimedthat the long work hours as a child star ruined his perception of a normal life. Being on set for nine years with Disney felt like “an insular environment that you forget what real human experience…actually looks like.”
