ID’s new documentary “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” exposes the alleged toxic environment child actors endured at Nickelodeon in the late ’90s and early 2000s — but Marc Summers doesn’t didn’t know when he agreed to an interview.
The famous network host – who helmed “Double Dare” and “What Would You Do?” – revealed that he felt framed by the documentary’s producers when he appeared on the show.
“They ambushed me,” the 72-year-old said on Friday’s edition of z100’s Elvis Duran and the Morning Show. “(They) put out a bait and attacked me.”
Summers claimed executives never explained to him “what this documentary was actually about.”
“And then they showed me a video of something that I couldn’t believe existed on Nickelodeon. And I said, “Well, let’s stop the tape there.” What do we do ?’ “, he remembers.
The ‘History IQ’ host left the ‘Quiet’ set after learning the doc would delve into the details of allegations against Nickelodeon honcho Dan Schneider and former vocal coach Brian Peck, who is accused of allegedly abusing actor Drake Bell.
“I left. So I got a call about six weeks ago saying you were totally off the show. And I said, ‘Great.’ Then they called me about four weeks and said, ‘Well, you’re part of it, but you’re only part one because you talked about the positive aspects of Nickelodeon,'” he explained.
“What they didn’t tell me – and they lied to me – was the fact that they put this other thing where they had the camera on me when they ambushed me. And so, we now find ourselves in a whole situation regarding those who are unethical.
The segment the producers were referring to was apparently one that Summers was unaware had ever aired on the network. The documentary showed a clip of him watching a clip on his phone, asking, “Did this air on Nickelodeon?”
The series featured scenes from a plethora of Schneider’s series, such as “Zoey 101,” “Sam & Cat” and “Victorious,” which featured several seemingly suggestive scenes that didn’t actually seem kid-friendly in hindsight.
The TV personality later claimed he never met Schneider, saying “Double Dare” ended before series creator Nick was hired. “Double Dare” aired from 1986 to 1993 on the network.
“These people arrived afterwards and took over our studios. I never met this man, I have no idea about any of this,” he said.
“I mean, I know Kenan (Thompson) from ‘Kenan and Kel,’ because we did some stuff together. But as far as everything that happened on this show with these people, I’ve never met any of them. I did not know anyone. But I felt like I knew these people,” Summers said.
A bonus episode of the five-part documentary “Quiet on Set” will air Sunday, April 7 on Max and Investigation Discovery.
New York Post
