Megyn Kelly thinks Nickelodeon’s days are numbered amid fallout from “Quiet on Set,” the blockbuster Investigation Discovery docuseries exposing years of workplace negligence, toxic management and inappropriate conduct at the kids entertainment network.
“I can’t believe Nickelodeon is still in business in the wake of this scandal. It may not be for much longer,” the conservative host said on Wednesday’s episode of her eponymous SiriusXM podcast.
Kelly sat with “Zoey 101” star and “Quiet on Set” documentary subject Alexa Nikolas for an expansive interview, covering both responses to the ID series and the young actress’ own experience with Nickelodeon’s mega-producer and creator at the time, Dan Schneider.
“When I started to watch the docuseries, I thought it was all about this guy, Dan Schneider,” Kelly admitted at the top of the interview, adding that she “kind of saw him as almost the Roger Ailes of Nickelodeon, in that he wasn’t the top executive, but he was the chief show creator.”
“The guy was like a gold mine when it came to ideas and what would work on television,” she said. Kelly then expressed that “Quiet on Set” surprised her by becoming about more than that.
“As episode and episode goes by, you learn that that guy, and that guy, and this kid, and this kid, and this kid and this — I can’t believe Nickelodeon is still in business in the wake of this scandal,” Kelly said. “It may not be for much longer.”
Beyond the allegations of toxic workplace behavior against Schneider, the documentary also covers the sexual assault of Drake Bell by convicted sex offender Brian Peck, who served as a dialogue coach on the actor’s teen series “Drake & Josh.”
“Me too, I cannot believe it is still in business to be quite honest with you,” Nikolas said, agreeing with Kelly. The actress added that she was also surprised by how many former Nickelodeon kid and teen actors came forward to speak out against network leadership.
“Watching the documentary was also shocking for me because I sat down for an interview very early on, and I wasn’t sure who else was going to sit down. And I think for a lot of survivors in general, you always think you’re the only one,” she said. “So when I sat down in that seat, I wasn’t sure who else was going to follow. And so when I watched the documentary, not only was it extremely sad to witness all of these kids being affected, but also it was very validating — in a very scary way, obviously. But it was very validating.”
Watch Kelly’s full interview with Nikolas in the video above.
