Sunny Hostin Questions Ariana Grande’s Silence on the Nickelodeon Abuse Scandal

The View co-host Sunny Hostin has questioned Ariana Grande's silence amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the new ID exposé series titled Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. According to The Independent, the docu-series details allegations of mental and sexual abuse that occurred behind the scenes at Nickelodeon during the 1990s. In a recent documentary series, which started streaming in the US on March 17, former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell came forward with accusations of sexual abuse that he suffered at the age of 15.

Bell claimed that he was a target of abuse by Brian Peck, who served as a dialogue coach on Nickelodeon's All That and The Amanda Show. The series also raised accusations against former Nickelodeon executive producer Dan Schneider, who departed from the network in 2018 after a ViacomCBS investigation concluded that he engaged in verbal abuse on set, although no evidence of sexual misconduct was found. Schneider has since addressed the allegations from the documentary, admitting that he found it extremely difficult to watch.

Meanwhile, Hostin and her fellow hosts on The View addressed the scandal at the start of Friday's show, according to Entertainment Weekly. The discussion in Hot Topics eventually turned to Grande who rose to fame in Hollywood through Nickelodeon shows like Victorious and Sam & Cat. The docu-series even hinted at possible inappropriate connections in scenes featuring a young Grande trying to extract juice from a potato and pouring water over her neck while lying on the edge of a bed. However, Grande herself has not publicly commented on the ongoing scandal.

Hostin, referring to other former Nickelodeon stars who have not yet addressed the allegations publicly, said, "I often tell people, if you're a true ally, if something is happening in a room, if you see it happening to me...a true ally says, at that moment, 'Don't do that, you shouldn't do that.'" Sara Haines then replied to Hostin and said, "Just to clarify, these were kids when this all happened." To this, Hostin replied, "They were kids, but I'm saying it applies kind of universally. They shouldn't have to be, as adults, bullied to speak out and support someone." Directly addressing Grande, the hosts agreed that it remained uncertain whether the singer had observed any abusive behavior during her time at the children's television network.

Subsequently, Hostin asserted, “But, she is an adult now, so is silence complicity or not?” Ana Navarro also pointed out that everyone copes with trauma in their own way and at their own pace, implying that they should also be regarded as victims if they were children when the alleged abuse occurred. She added, "People need to speak up when they're ready." Defending Grande, Haines explained that her cohost's statement was too simplistic and did not fully consider Grande's perspective. She said, "Knowing what she knows, what she doesn't know, what she experienced if this is drawing up new things, you're asking all of these people with these new revelations to look back." She added, "You're always looking at it through the age you were at at that time."