Ariana Grande Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
After the explosive documentary Quiet on Set made shocking allegations about the toxic work environment at Nickelodeon, debate rages on about who is obligated to speak out.
On the Friday, March 22, episode of The View, the panel discussed the role of Ariana Grande in the matter. Grande, 30, starred on Nickelodeon’s Victorious from 2010-2013 and its spinoff, Sam & Cat, from 2013-2014.
Grande has not addressed the allegations made against the network and producer Dan Schneider, nor is she featured in the documentary.
Still, cohost Sunny Hostin argued Grande has an obligation to get involved. “She’s an adult now,” Hostin said. “Is silence complicity or not?”
While Hollywood may appear to be all glitz and glam on the surface, the industry has seen its fair share of scandals through the years. The New York Times and the New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017 that accused disgruntled movie producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Soon after, Weinstein stood trial and was […]
Hostin, 55, received major blowback from the rest of the roundtable, including cohost Sara Haines, who explained there’s no confirmation that Grande knew anything untoward was happening at the network.
“I think that oversimplifies it,” Haines, 46, told Hostin. “Knowing what she knows or doesn’t know or what she experienced, if this is drawing up new things, you’re asking all of these people with these new revelations to look back. Whenever you look back in life, whether it’s your grandma’s house or the way your parents acted, you’re always looking at it at the age you were at that time.”
Haines continued, “They’re having to process through some of this stuff they may not have known about.”
Cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed with Haines, further arguing that the expectations being placed on former Nickelodeon stars misses the point altogether.
Ariana Grande and Dan Schneider. Albert Michael/Startraks
“Ariana Grande and Josh Peck are being called to weigh in on this,” Farah Griffin, 34, said. “I could see how that could come off like they’re making the story about themselves by weighing in. I actually think it’s way more important that they reach out to the victims themselves and say, ‘How can I support you? Would that be helpful?’”
Drake Bell, who alleged in the documentary that he was sexually abused by former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck, revealed his former Drake & Josh costar Josh Peck (no relation to Brian) reached out privately after Quiet on Set aired.
Since The View premiered in August 1997, more than 20 women have had permanent roles as cohosts on the ABC morning talk show. The series, which was created by Barbara Walters, features a multi-generational panel that conducts interviews and discusses the news of the day, ranging from politics to entertainment. The original lineup was comprised […]
The View cohost Ana Navarro agreed with Haines and Farah Griffin, urging critics to allow things to play out behind the scenes, rather than on display for public consumption.
“The private acts are way more important than these public ones, especially when you’re dealing with pain and trauma,” Navarro, 52, said. “It is really important that we don’t continue to traumatize people.”
Hostin, however, remained unmoving in her stance, continuing to suggest that people like Grande have a duty and a moral responsibility to speak out.
“If you are public and you have a platform, it’s an honor to have a platform,” Hostin asserted. “It’s an honor to have a voice. And you should use the voice for good and you should use the voice to help survivors.”