Joey Lawrence shares how she survived the ‘dark side’ of early fame after ’90s child star abuse allegations
Joey Lawrence is thankful she survived the “dark side” of early fame as the ’90s child star has spoken out of late, alleging abuse at the hands of network higher-ups.
“So definitely in our industry — in the ’80s and ’90s, especially — a lot of things went down that weren’t right. You see a lot of these people talking about it today,” says the former kid-actor-turned-teenage heartthrob, now 47. told Page Six in an exclusive new interview
The actor — who rose to fame on the ’80s show “Gimme a Break!” and the ’90s hit “Blossom” — notes that he’s “very lucky” to have avoided any uncomfortable interactions in the biz, adding that his parents was “always around” to keep her and her famous siblings safe.
“My parents were with me the whole time, so there were moments and they skipped because my parents were right there,” he said of his mother, Donna Lawrence, and father, Joseph Lawrence Sr.
Joey — who starred in his teenage years on the sitcom “Brotherly Love” alongside younger brothers Matthew Lawrence, now 44, and Andy Lawrence, now 36 — insisted that any shady on-set characters knew something “couldn’t get away.” ” Around with their mom and dad.
“I was very close with my family. We went everywhere together and I had that support system,” she tells us. “And it was like this impenetrable wall around me in that very vulnerable moment, you know? I am very grateful for that.”
Lawrence’s reflection on her experiences as a teen actor comes after Nickelodeon alum Drake Bell — among other former child stars who worked for the network — alleged they were abused on set and behind closed doors in ID’s “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV . docuseries, which premiered Monday.
Bell, 37, for her part, revealed that she was the child actor who was sexually abused by Brian Peck, the acting and dialogue coach sentenced to 16 months in prison for such offenses in 2004.
Peck’s crimes, along with their effect on Bell, are explored in “Quiet on Set,” though he is unrelated to the cast of Disney Channel’s juggernaut hit “Boy Meets World.”
Series stars Will Friedl and Ryder Strong were among the many actors to defend Peck in court, a choice Bell has publicly condemned.
Page Six for more of your favorites…
However, last month, Friedl and Strong claimed in a “Pod Meets World” podcast episode with castmate Daniel Fishel that they were framed by Peck — apparently using that as an excuse for why they supported him in court.
“Will was 27 years old and Brian told him what he did. A lot of people turned away and said no I won’t write letters but they did. Will was not manipulated,” Bell wrote in an Instagram comment, responding to a user who claimed that Friedl, now 47, and Strong, now 44, were Peck’s “victims.”
She added in a separate comment that Strong “was 24 years old when she wrote the letter and told her what Brian had done,” noting that — like Friedl — the Disney Channel graduate “wrote the letter anyway.”
Joey’s middle brother Matthew starred in “Boy Meets World” for a while, providing room for the Lawrence brothers to develop a strong friendship, particularly with Friedl.
Joey admits that Peck was brought in to work with “a young cast, like many” — but bypasses any professional — or potentially harmful — exchanges with him.
“Here’s the deal. I think everybody knew him because he was in that circle. I ran into him a few times. I never worked with him … and he wasn’t in ‘Brotherly Love’,” she explains. “We were never close to him. We didn’t need him because we were brothers, we were doing our own thing.”
“Quiet on Set” also details allegations of sexism, racism and inappropriate workplace behavior against former Nickelodeon producer Dan Snyder — who helmed such iconic projects as “All That,” “The Amanda Show” and “Joey 101.”
In response to the doc, Snyder, 58, said in a recent interview with BooG!E — who played T-Bo on his other hit show “iCarly” — that he owes many a “profound apology.” Additionally, he called on Nickelodeon to cut banned jokes from its series that remain available to stream.
“I wish I could go back, especially in those earlier years of my career, and bring the improvement and experience I have now and just do a good job and never feel like it was okay to have a hole. Anyone, ever,” he told BooG!E, born Bobby Bowman.
“Let’s cut these jokes out of the show, just like I would have done 20 years ago or 25 years ago. I want my shows to be popular,” Snyder continued.
“I want everyone to like [the shows], the more people like the show, the happier I am. So if there’s something that needs to be cut because it’s bothering somebody, let’s cut it.”
Meanwhile, Joey tells Page Six that he hopes anyone hurt by the industry — and its predatory players — will be able to heal.
“It’s sad to see these stories and my heart breaks for those who have gone through these things. You try to come out of it hard. Some people don’t come out of it, some people make it,” he says.
“But unfortunately that’s just life. It happens whether you are in business, if you are not in business. Terrible things happen all the time and we just have to learn from them and pray about them and hopefully raise awareness so it happens less and less. That’s all you can do.”