Kenan Thompson says it's been "tough to watch" Investigation Discovery's Nickelodeon-centered Quiet on Set docuseries.
In a recent interview with Tamron Hall, the Good Burger 2 star and longest-running SNL cast member was asked about the series, specifically its focus on producer and prolific network presence (until his departure in 2018) Dan Schneider.
"It’s a tough subject," Thompson said. "It’s tough for me because I can’t really speak on things that I never witnessed. Because all these things happened after I left, basically. Dan wasn’t really on Kenan and Kel like that. I mean, he got a 'created by' credit but there was a different showrunner so our worlds weren’t really overlapping like that outside of All That, necessarily."
As Thompson explained, the type of work environment alleged in the documentary "started happening outside our tenure," meaning he "wasn't really aware of a lot of it." Still, Thompson noted, he's supportive of the doc's release.
"My heart goes to anybody that’s been victimized or their families," he said. "I think it’s a good thing that the doc is out and it’s putting things on display ... stories that need to be told, for accountability’s sake. But it’s definitely tough to watch because I have fond memories of that place and I have fond memories of my co-stars and stuff like that. So to hear that they’ve gone through terrible things like that, it’s really tough."
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From there, Hall interjected to note that her show’s team had reached out to Schneider’s reps and to his production company, with the latter directing them to a statement in which they said that all formal complaints are investigated.
"Well, investigate more," Thompson suggested. "It’s supposed to be a safe space. It’s supposed to be a safe place for kids. And to hear all about that is just, like, how dare you?"
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Thompson's own Nickelodeon background includes multiple seasons of Kenan & Kell and All That. A skit from the latter was turned into a film, Good Burger, in 1997. A long-awaited sequel hit Paramount+ in November and proved to be an immediate, record-breaking success for the platform.
As for the future of Quiet on Set, it was announced just this week that an additional episode, one not initially part of the series rollout, would be debuting on April 7. The surprise fifth episode, titled Breaking the Silence, will see Soledad O’Brien leading a discussion that’s set to include a return appearance from Drake Bell.
