Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which delves into the controversies surrounding Dan Schneider’s Nickelodeon empire, has left some viewers feeling “physically sick” due to one person in particular – former child star Brandi’s mom.
While there have been plenty of new true crime documentaries to delve into in 2024 so far, few have captured attention quite like Quiet on Set. Alongside the Brian Peck case, the series delves into the crimes of child sex offender Jason Michael Handy, who worked for Nickelodeon as a production assistant.
Prior to his 2003 arrest, Handy allegedly started emailing with a child identified as Brandi, a huge Nickelodeon fan who appeared in an episode of The Amanda Show. In Quiet on Set, Brandi’s mom, MJ, explains that she “didn’t see any harm in it” as the emails were “innocent.” But this all changed when Handy sent her daughter a photo of himself naked, carrying out a sexual act.
MJ tearfully explains that she was worried authorities would think she was a bad parent for allowing Brandi to talk to an adult, and so she decided not to tell the police. But in a separate incident, officers were tipped off about Handy.
In 2003, they searched his home and found an “enormous trove” of sexually explicit content involving minors, as well as ziplock bags containing tokens from a number of underage girls and a diary in which he described himself as “a pedophile, full-blown.”
Although MJ admits her mistakes, viewers have been left feeling angry that she didn’t call the police and help put a stop to Handy’s crimes sooner. “I have to wonder if she was okay with her daughter toeing the line with this man for work and then realized how utterly stupid she was for it,” said one on Reddit.
Another replied, “I think she was and that’s why she didn’t go to the cops cause she knew that was inappropriate but all she was thinking about was exploiting her child, it makes me physically sick.”
“I hate that her mom told HER story,” added a third. “I also don’t agree with the fact she didn’t report the man when her daughter first told her. I just don’t like Brandi’s mom. She’s the typical stage mom living through her child, putting them into situations that could have been avoided had she been a good mother. Who in their right mind allows a nine year old to become pen pals with a grown ass man?”
A fourth speculated: “I honestly don’t think she wanted to talk. I think the mom chose to share her daughter’s story because she’s a stage mom.”
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is available on ID and Max, which you can sign up for here. You can read the one major thing we think is missing from Quiet on Set, as well as what happened to Brian Peck after prison here. And for new content to watch, check out all the best TV shows hitting streaming this month.
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