Ariana Grande breaks silence on Nickelodeon abuse allegations

Ariana Grande has broken her silence regarding abuse allegations at Nickelodeon stemming from Calm on set documentary.

The documentary premiered in March 2024 and exposed shocking allegations from former child actors who starred in popular shows like Zoe 101, Amanda’s Show and more.

Grande appeared on fellow child actor Penn Badgley’s podcast, Podécrasséto talk about his new music, Wickedand their collaboration for his music video “The Boy Is Mine”.

When asked what she thought about children in show business, she alluded to the distressing allegations.

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“Obviously my relationship with him has changed and is changing,” she said.

“I’m reprocessing a lot of what that experience was,” she said, apparently referring to her time on Nickelodeon as Cat Valentine in Victorious.

“I think the environment needs to be made safer if kids want to act out. I think there should be therapists. I think parents should be allowed to be wherever they want,” she continued .

Speaking about the “survivors” who have shared their stories, Grande said, “There are no words to describe how devastating it is to hear about it.”

“I’m still reprocessing, in real time, my relationship with him,” she reiterated.

“There’s also a weird trend happening where there’s really taking advantage of what it means for the young laugh artist in the video village,” the “Eternal Sunshine” singer said.

“Speaking specifically about our show (Victorious), I think that was something we believed in, which was cool about us. We pushed the boundaries with our humor,” she continued.

Victorious was known for containing many innuendos and jokes that are now being criticized as fans view them as adults.

“Now, looking back on some of the clips, I’m like, ‘That’s… Damn, really? Oh shit, like my daughter…'” she said.

“And then the things that weren’t approved for the network were slipped onto our website,” she added, noting, “I guess I’m upset.”

She added that later, during her time on Nickelodeon, her mother, Joan Grande, was allowed to be on set and the two unpacked Grande’s acting days.

Badgley noted that from his perspective as a child actor, the experience was nuanced and that “it (child acting) takes and gives”.

He acknowledged that the allegations are “devastating” and added that “that’s not to say that this whole thing was a negative experience for everyone.”

“I think it’s a very complicated and strange truth to consider,” he said.

“It changes things,” Grande admitted. “It changes a lot.”