Hollywood’s Dark Secrets: Survivors Finally Speak Out

Behind the red carpets and golden statues of Hollywood, some of its youngest stars were living through fear and silence. In this documentary-style story, we look at what survivors have said about abuse in the entertainment industry, and why so many of them were not believed for so long. We also go back to the 1980s Satanic Panic, when fear of secret devil-worshipping cults swept America. The McMartin preschool trial, the 1992 FBI report by Kenneth Lanning, and the lack of evidence for organized satanic ritual abuse all show how panic can run ahead of facts, and how it damaged the credibility of real victims. From there, we explore documented cases and public testimonies, including Corey Feldman, Todd Bridges, Mara Wilson, the Brian Peck case, the documentary series Quiet on Set, and the Me Too movement that followed the Harvey Weinstein reports. We also look at the reforms for child actors and why the most powerful answer to abuse has always been truth, not panic.