The Investigation Discovery docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” delves at frightening and predatory conduct behind the scenes at Nickelodeon. The docuseries, which was originally published in four parts, will return with a fifth installment premiering on ID on April 7.
Among the several disturbing disclosures is one about a former child actress known as “Brandi.” Brandi, thought to be an alias, secured a position as a Nickelodeon performer, but her dreams of success were dashed when a production assistant, Jason Handy, gave her obscene material. Although Brandi did not appear in “Quiet on Set,” her mother, MJ, told her daughter’s tale in episode two of the documentary.
Brandi appeared on ‘The Amanda Show’ when she was 11
The docuseries did not specify if it utilized aliases, but it most certainly used a different name to shield Brandi’s identity and maybe her mother’s.
As shown in “Quiet on Set,” Brandi appeared in a “Judge Trudy” skit during season two, episode 12 of the sketch-comedy series “The Amanda Show,” starring Amanda Bynes. In the scenario, she donned overalls, a white bucket hat, and spectacles. None of the guest stars or featured actors mentioned in the end credits of this episode of “The Amanda Show” are called Brandi, implying that Brandi is an alias or that she was not credited.
When Business Insider checked up the names in the closing credits of “The Amanda Show” on IMDb, none matched Brandi’s professional path as described in the documentary. MJ described her kid as “very outgoing,” “full of life,” and intrigued by Nickelodeon and Disney Channel programming. Brandi was a great fan of “The Amanda Show,” so the kid was overjoyed when she was cast as an extra in a school scene.
According to MJ, parents were not allowed on site. Instead, Handy directed the little performers there. Handy, according to MJ, was warm and charming, and he developed deep relationships with the children and parents. He exchanged phone numbers and email addresses with everyone, including Brandi.
MJ said her kid received an obscene email from Handy.
About a week after her appearance on “The Amanda Show,” Handy wrote Brandi a “innocent” email about the projects he was working on. That resulted in other correspondences, which MJ was unconcerned about until a few months later, when Brandi opened an email, quickly turned off her computer, and fled to her bed, weeping.
MJ stated that she struggled with calling the authorities for fear of being labeled as a terrible parent.
“I eventually convinced myself, ‘I can’t contact the cops. “All I can do is make sure she stays away from him,” MJ explained.
Handy, then 28, was arrested in April 2003 for indecent actions with a kid under the age of 14. The Los Angeles Police Department said that Handy kissed and groped a 9-year-old child in Glendale, California, three years prior to his arrest.
Brandi quit the entertainment industry after her experience
“I no longer trusted anyone with children in this industry,” she said. I felt abandoned. There was never an apology to Brandi for what transpired. Everything was brushed under the rug.
Brandi’s whereabouts are unclear, but TikTok users have speculated on what happened to her. One possibility is that she is the 10-time Grammy winner Brandi Carlile, however this makes no sense because the singer has no history of performing on Nickelodeon as a child, and her age does not correspond to Brandi’s at the time of the occurrence.
