Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, an Investigation Discovery series which premiered in March 2024, reveals the toxic nature of many of your favorite 1990s kids television shows. One of the big revelations from the series was actor Drake Bell coming forward as the victim of Brian Peck’s sexual abuse. Fellow child actor Joey Lawrence is thankful to have come out of childhood fame unscathed.
He opened up to Page Six about his experiences. He credits his parents and family with protecting him when he was vulnerable. As an adult, he now fully understands how important their presence was.
“So certainly in our industry — in the '80s and '90s, especially — a lot of stuff went down that was not OK. You see a lot of these people talking about it today,” Joey began. He is so thankful to have avoided it.
“My parents were with me the whole time, so there were moments and they were averted because my parents were right there,” he went on to explain. His parents, Donna and Joseph Lawrence Sr. were protective not only of Joey but all their famous kids. Joey had breakout roles on Gimme a Break! and Blossom.
Joey’s brothers, Matthew Lawrence and Andy Lawrence, were also child actors. Matthew is best known for his roles on Boy Meets World and Mrs. Doubtfire. Andy is best known for his role in Recess. The three brothers worked together on the sitcom Brotherly Love.
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“I was very close with my family. We went everywhere together and I had that support system,” he tells us. “And it was sort of this impervious wall surrounding me at those very vulnerable moments, you know? I’m very grateful for that.”
Watch this video to see the brothers in action.
