Nickelodeon child star Bryan Hearne exposes 'harmful' discrimination he says he faced as one of the only black actors on network - saying he was subjected to horrifying 'racial stereotyping' and was once branded a 'piece of CHARCOAL' on-set

A former Nickelodeon child star has opened up about what it was like to be one of the few black actors on All That in the early 2000s - claiming he had to portray 'drug dealers' and 'rappers,' was put into 'really uncomfortable situations,' and was once referred to as a 'piece of charcoal' by someone from the network.

Bryan Hearne, 35, appeared on the Nickelodeon comedy sketch series from 2000 until 2002 - starting at only 12 years old - and now, he has spoken out about some of the 'harmful' experiences that he endured during his time on the show.

He alleged to People recently that he was 'treated differently than other non-black actors' by showrunner Dan Schneider.

He added that he still 'cringes' when he thinks of the 'racially stereotyped roles' that the show's producers forced him into - and that some of the comments made by staffers on set affected him for years even after he departed the show in 2002.

A former Nickelodeon child star claimed he had to portray 'drug dealers' and 'rappers' on All That, and was once referred to as a 'piece of charcoal' by someone from the network

Bryan Hearne (seen bottom, second from the left, with his castmates), 35, appeared on the comedy sketch series from 2000 until 2002, starting when he was only 12 years old

Now, he has spoken out about some of the 'harmful' experiences that he endured during his time on the show. He's seen recently with his wife

'I was referred to as a "piece of charcoal" [by an adult],' he recalled. 'Remarks like that are harmful. They stay with you.'

One part of the show, called On-Air Dare, would involve the kid stars partaking in over-the-top activities.

Bryan alleged that many of the stunts made the actors 'uncomfortable,' but claimed that 'saying no' was not an option for them.

He alleged to People recently that he was 'treated differently than other non-black actors' by showrunner Dan Schneider (seen in 2011)

He described the segment as a 'torture chamber,' explaining, 'There was never any discussion. 

'We felt like we couldn't say no. It was a really uncomfortable situation, and after a while, it felt like we were just part of this torture chamber.'

Bryan spoke to the publication amid ID's explosive new docuseries, Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV - which explored the toxic working environment children and teens were subjected to while appearing on Nickelodeon shows throughout the 1990s and 2000s. 

He was one of the many former Nickelodeon stars to speak out during the four-part ID series. 

Bryan's fellow All That star Giovonnie Samuels also spoke to People about her time on the network. 

He added that he still 'cringes' when he thinks of the 'racially stereotyped roles' that the show's producers forced him into. He's seen with his castmates in 2002

'I was referred to as a "piece of charcoal" [by an adult],' he recalled. 'Remarks like that are harmful. They stay with you.' He's seen recently

Bryan's fellow All That star Giovonnie Samuels (seen together as teens) also spoke to People about her time on the network

She joined the show at age 16, in 2000, and was a part of it for three seasons before leaving.

She doubled down on Bryan's accusations that he was treated differently on set due to his skin color, and she claimed that she was not provided with a hairstylist like the other stars.

The actress, 38, also recalled a time that she had to participate in a sketch that saw her chugging immense amounts of fake coffee and sugar, which she said felt like 'waterboarding.'

She said that while she wanted to 'speak up' about the alleged mistreatment, she was scared to anger showrunner Dan. 

'You learn to walk that fine line. You're always asking yourself, "Do I speak up? And if I do speak up, will I lose my job? Or do I just let it go?"' she added.

'Dan Schneider was that guy that could, if he liked you, you would get a spinoff, you would get another show. I understood that reverence and I guess, I shied away from it.'

Dan was behind popular Nickelodeon shows like All That, Drake & Josh, Henry Danger, Kenan & Kel, Sam & Cat, The Amanda Show, Victorious, Zoey 101, and iCarly, to name a few - but he departed from the network in 2018 amid numerous allegations of misconduct.

At the time, Nickelodeon said it had performed an internal investigation and found that evidence to back up the allegations was 'non-existent.'

She joined the show at age 16, in 2000, and was a part of it for three seasons before leaving. She's seen in the show

Giovonnie (bottom row, second from right) doubled down on Bryan's (bottom row, second from left) accusations that he was treated differently on set due to his skin color

She said that while she wanted to 'speak up' about the alleged mistreatment, she was scared to anger showrunner Dan. She's seen in 2015

A spokesperson for Dan, 58, told People amid the new docuseries, 'Nothing has been alleged about Dan other than him being a tough boss who got into disagreements with other adult executives at Nickelodeon and when Dan departed Nickelodeon a full investigation was done and again, that’s all that they found.' 

Quiet On Set described Nickelodeon in the early 2000s as an 'insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew.' 

In it, Dan was accused of 'degrading' staff by The Amanda Show writers Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen.

Christy claimed he would turn 'volatile' at 'any moment' and recalled being 'scared, paranoid, and uncomfortable' on set.

'Working for Dan was like being in an abusive relationship,' she stated. 

Other shocking accusations made throughout the docuseries included one that production assistant Jason Handy harbored an 'enormous trove of child pornography' and another that the network had hired a registered sex offender in 2005.

Drake Bell also claimed that he was sexually abused as a teenager by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck. 

Dan, who behind Nickelodeon shows like Drake & Josh, Sam & Cat, Victorious, Zoey 101, and iCarly, to name a few, departed from the network in 2018 amid allegations of misconduct

In Quiet on Set, Dan was accused of 'degrading' staff by The Amanda Show writers Christy Stratton (seen) and Jenny Kilgen

In the docuseries, Drake Bell also claimed that he was sexually abused as a teenager by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck (seen in 2012) 

He described the abuse as 'brutal' and 'extensive,' and recalled feeling 'trapped' - admitting that he now 'often looks back at that time and wonders how in the world he survived' 

The Drake & Josh star alleged that the abuse began during a casting trip that he was on with Brian at age 15, and only got 'worse and worse and worse' after that.

He described it as 'brutal' and 'extensive,' and recalled feeling 'trapped' - admitting that he now 'often looks back at that time and wonders how in the world he survived.' 

He said it began during a casting trip that he was on with Brian at age 15, and only got 'worse and worse and worse' after that. Drake is seen with his costar Drake & Josh as a teen

In August of 2003, the vocal coach was arrested and charged with nearly a dozen counts related allegations that he had sexually abused a then-unnamed minor. 

He eventually pleaded no contest to performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old and to oral copulation with a minor under 16.

He received a 16-month prison sentence after his conviction, and in October 2004, he was ordered to register as a sex offender. 

Following the docuseries' release, Nickelodeon told DailyMail.com, 'Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. 

'Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.'